PHILADELPHIA - The University of Pennsylvania Softball team (18-13, 9-6 Ivy) fell in a nine-inning heartbreaker, 1-0, in the opening game on Saturday against Princeton before surging for 14 runs in the series finale to earn the Saturday split. 

Notes

* Penn's 14 runs against Princeton is the second most that it has ever scored against the Tigers. The Quakers scored 18 against Princeton in 1980.

* The Quakers fall to 1-1 in extra inning games this season. They previously defeated Lafayette in extra innings. 

* The Red and Blue have now scored 10 or more runs in seven games this season, including five of their last eight. 

* Julia Schneider recorded the first home run of her career.

* Lucy Yang's home run was her fourth of the season and the ninth of her career. 

* Jessica England has reached base in 22 consecutive games. A new career-high. The senior's previous career-high of 19 was set last season. 

* Tabitha Dyer recorded her seventh win the circle this season. She is 7-1 on the year which leads the Penn pitching staff. 

* Julia Longo threw eight innings in Penn's, 1-0, loss. It's the most innings in a single game that the freshman has thrown. 

How it Happened

The Quakers entered Saturday looking to bounce back after falling short in a 5-2 loss on Friday. Saturday morning's opener would prove to be a defensive battle. 

Walks from Jessica England and Sam Pederson put runners on first and second right away in the opening frame, but three straight outs left them stranded and the game scoreless heading into the second. 

In the cirlce, Julia Longo retired six of the game's first eight batters and stranded runners in scoring position in the third and sixth innings. The freshman retired six straight in the seventh and eighth as well. The Penn defense behind the outstanding pitcher was stout all morning. With a runner on first and no outs in the eighth, England, Pederson, and Sarah Cwiertnia teamed up for a 6-4-3 double play to put two outs on the board as the team left the inning unscathed.

Looking to put the game away in the bottom of the seventh, the Red and Blue advanced Corrie Phillips to second base on a sac-bunt after she walked. However, like earlier in the game, back-to-back outs to end the innings sent Penn to extra innings. 

Princeton went 1-2-3 in the eighth while Pederson led off with a single before three straight outs sent the game to the ninth. A pair of Princeton singles put runners on first and second right away in the inning. Jennifer Brann took over for Longo in the circle before a sac-bunt advanced both runners to second and third. A sac-fly to center field advanced the runner on third home for the first run of the day as Penn trailed, 1-0, heading into the bottom of the ninth. The Quakers went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth as they fell in game one, 1-0. 

While runs were hard to come by in game one, that would not be the case in game two. The Tigers scored in the opening frame and then the Quakers answered with a run of their own as England came in on a wild pitch. 

After a scoreless inning in the second, the Penn bats exploded in the third. A two-run shot to left field from Lucy Yang sparked what would be an eight run inning for the Red and Blue. A trio of singles from the freshmen crew of Emma Nedley, Corrie Phillips, and Julia Schneider loaded the bases for Penn. Sarah Ketring walked to bring in a run and then another wild pitch scored Phillips to put the Quakers up, 5-1. Pederson singled to bring in Schneider and then after an England walk, back-to-back singles from Sarah Cwiertnia and Yang brought in a pair of runs to make it, 8-1. A Nedley sac-fly capped off the eight run inning and the Red and Blue headed to the fourth leading, 9-1. 

Penn kept it going in the fourth. Schneider led-off with a solo home-run to spark another busy inning. A pair of singles from Hannah Gibbons and Kayla Ketring put runners in scoring position and then a single from Cwiertnia brought both runners across to make it 12-1 for the Quakers. Penn scored on its third wild pitch of the afternoon as Yang scored to put the team up 14-1 heading into the fifth.

Tabitha Dyer allowed an early run in the first, but came back to throw three scoreless innings. The sophomore lefty loaded the bases in the fifth before Brann came in in relief. Princeton hit a grand slam to score four runs and make it 14-5, but Brann retired two straight batters to end the game via mercy rule. 

What's Next 

Penn will head to Saint Joseph's on Wednesday before playing a series with Brown at Penn Park next weekend.