CLEARWATER, Fla. - It's not how you start, it's how you finish. That was the mantra of The University of Pennsylvania softball team (2-2) on Saturday. After two close losses to Middle Tennessee and Furman on Friday, the Quakers hoped to bounce back on day two of their Florida trip against Ball State and Bethune-Cookman.

The Red and Blue did just that, coming back from one-run deficits in each game to defeat the Cardinals and Wildcats. Penn defeated Ball State in the morning, 5-3, before taking down highly touted Bethune-Cookman, 5-1. 

Notes 

* Penn's two wins on Saturday marks the first time that it has won both games on the same day in Florida since 2015. 

* Seven of the Quakers' ten runs came via home runs. 

* Tabitha Dyer's no earned runs marked a first for the sophomore lefty. Dyer pitched just her second career complete game - her first since the team played Lafayette last season. 

* Lucy Yang led the Quakers at the plate on Saturday. The sophomore recorded three hits - two of which were home runs - with 6 RBI. 

* Berit Batterton's solo home run against Ball State marked the first home run of her career. 

How it Happened

Looking to bounce back after two close losses on Friday, the Quakers began day two in Clearwater against Ball State. Much like Friday, the Red and Blue bats started cold. However, where the Penn bats didn't produce - at least right away - the Quaker outfield did.

Jennifer Brann allowed one run in the first on a single to left field. Then in the second inning, with runners on first and second, Ball State's Haley Dominique singled through the right side. As the runner rounded third, Tabitha Dyer threw a laser from right field to Sarah Ketring at home and tagged out the runner.

From there, Brann settled down in the circle. In innings three through five, Brann didn't allow a single hit and only allowed one base runner in the fourth. 

The Quakers finally broke the scoreless streak in fifth. Sarah Ketring got on base with a single to right field. Running for her sister, Kayla Ketring advanced to third on Sam Pederson's first hit of the season and then came home on a wild pitch, tying the score, 1-1. 

In the sixth, Sarah Cwiertnia got the Red and Blue bats started, reaching base via error. Penn took advantage of the fielding error as Emma Nedley kept it going with her first hit of the day. On the 0-0 pitch, Lucy Yang broke open the scoring for the Quakers. She hit her first home run of the season, a three-run shot to put Penn up, 4-1. 

Berit Batterton added to the Penn scoring as she made it back-to-back home runs. The junior hit the first home run of her career, expanding the Penn lead to 5-1. Sam Pederson ended the scoring run with a ground-out, but after a four-run inning, the Quakers were well in control.

Ball State cut into the Penn lead in the bottom of the frame and then added a home run in the seventh off the bat of Stacy Payton. Brann didn't allow it to get any closer than that as she forced a pop up to Jessica England at short stop, ending the game. 

In game two, the Quakers took on Bethune-Cookman. Despite being winners of just four games, the Wildcats were coming off of an NCAA Regionals appearance last season and had defeated No. 17 Oregon last week. 

A defensive battle to start, neither team scored until the fourth inning. Dyer through three strikeouts in the first three innings and allowed just three base-runners. 

Dyer walked Bethune-Cookman's Brianna Sander to begin the fourth. Sanders and the Wildcats took advantage of a Penn error, scoring what would be their lone run of the afternoon. 

As she did in game one, it was Cwiertnia who got the Quaker bats going. The senior led off with a double and then back-to-back walks from Hannah Gibbons and Yang loaded the bases. With two outs, freshman Corrie Phillips hit a single up the middle, bringing home Clare Sebatianelli, who was running for Cwiertnia, to tie the game. Yang tried rounding third, but was thrown out by the second baseman at home. 

Penn added a second run in the fifth off of a sacrifice fly from Jessica England, but like the game against Ball State, the Quaker bats heated up in the sixth. Cwiertnia once again reached base, this time on a single, and then Nedley layed down a bunt to put two runners on. Making up for her previous error in the fourth, Yang hit her second three-run homer of the day to put the Red and Blue up, 5-1. 

Looking to throw her first complete game of the season in her first start, Dyer remained stout in the circle in the seventh. The lefty forced back-to-back ground-outs and then a fly out to right field wrapped up the perfect day for the Quakers.