PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Lafayette softball team showed its resolve in Wednesday's doubleheader at Penn, losing 2-1 in extra innings in game one before bouncing back with a well-earned 5-3 victory.
 
The Leopards were in control for the majority of game two. Junior catcher Malori Pojar worked some two-out lightning in the second inning. With Maddie Wensel aboard, Pojar blasted a shot over the wall in left for the 2-0 advantage.
 
In the bottom of the inning, the Leopard defense was crucial to keeping Penn (6-6) off the scoreboard despite three Quaker hits. Kinzi Van Wyk rolled a double play that Brooke Wensel turned, and then Van Wyk caught the last batter glancing at strike three.  
 
Paige Grover helped the Leopards extend their lead in the fifth inning, singling home pinch runner Natasha Miner following Pojar's single. Lafayette led 3-0.
 
The Maroon and White defense came through with another big play in the bottom of the fifth. With the bases loaded and one out, Brooke Wensel snared a liner and doubled off a Penn runner to end the inning.
 
Penn pushed across its first two runs of the game on two hits with two Leopard errors in the bottom of the sixth to trim Lafayette's advantage to 3-2. 
 
The Leopards (2-10) answered with two runs in the seventh, scoring on Erin Scott's RBI-single (that plated Addison Goldwait) and a bases-loaded walk by Maddie Wensel to push Lafayette ahead 5-2.
 
Van Wyk collected her second win of the season, allowing two earned runs on 11 hits with a walk and a strikeout.
 
In game one, Scott contributed all of the Leopards' offense. In the top of the second, the freshman connected with a two-strike offering and drove it over the wall in centerfield for the 1-0 advantage. Scott had two of the Leopards' three hits in the opener.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, Penn tied the game at 1-1. Like Scott's productive at bat in the second, Emma Nedley's plate appearance was an eight-pitch affair that resulted in a solo home run to center field.  
 
Penn's Sarah Cwiertnia roped a two-out double in the bottom of the seventh, but Scott came through with a game-saving, sliding catch in right to send the game to extra innings.
 
Lafayette starting pitcher Stacy Gordon continued into extra innings. She retired the first batter of the eighth, but Hannah Gibbons handed Penn the win with a solo home run to left centerfield to end the game.
 
Gordon allowed two runs on six hits over eight innings while striking out three. Penn reliever Abigail Abramson held the Leopards offense in check, retiring Lafayette in order three of four innings.
 
Lafayette will head south March 15-19 to the Tampa/Clearwater, Florida area to play six games in the USF Softball Series.