PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania softball team dropped an 11-2 decision in five innings to Drexel on Wednesday evening at Penn Park.
 
How It Happened
The Dragons needed just four batters to knock Penn starter Olivia Szewczyk out of the game. After a looping popout to second started the game, Drexel rapped two solid doubles and a single and head coach Leslie King was quick to insert Bella Fiorentino into the circle. Drexel hit her, as well, two more singles scoring two more runs and it was 3-0 before the Quakers had even stepped into the batter's box.
 
The Dragons took advantage of a few Penn errors in the third for the proverbial big inning, scoring six unearned runs to make it 9-0. The killer blow was a no-doubt grand slam by Drexel's all-time home run leader, Linda Rush.
 
Penn finally got on the board in the bottom of the third when Alyssa Pope singled for the Quakers' first hit of the game and later scored when Sammy Fenton's rocket shot was too hot for the Drexel third baseman to handle.
 
Drexel tacked on a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, and while Emma Nedley smashed her team-leading third home run of the season in the bottom half of the frame—a shot that went nearly dead center through a strong wind—it wasn't enough to keep the game going into a sixth inning.
 
Senior Abigail Abramson mopped up in the circle for the Quakers, allowing Drexel's final two runs in her 2.1 innings of work.