After this weekend, the Quakers will still seek to win their first Ivy series of the year.
Despite losing or tying every Ivy series thus far, Penn baseball always manages to scrape out one win in each three-game set.
The Quakers bused up to Cambridge, Massachusetts for a typical Ivy Saturday doubleheader against the Harvard Crimson. Reminiscent of their Ivy League opener against Brown, the Quakers dropped both Saturday games by the scores of 5-2 and 14-5.
In game one, sophomore Chris Adams was able to steal home, giving the Quakers (8-17-1, 3-5-1 Ivy) their only lead of the day.
Senior Gabe Kleiman started out on the mound and finished the game with eight strikeouts. Despite allowing only six hits and three walks, Kleiman surrendered five runs, as the Crimson (12-14, 3-3) capitalized on every imperfection.
In the eighth inning, Penn junior Matt McGeagh was able to hit a single, allowing junior Sean Phelan to score.
Kleiman had the superior pitching game, compared to Harvard’s Noah Zavolas, who allowed seven hits and six strikeouts. However, the Quakers offense was unable to convert their hits into runs, leaving the score of game one 5-2 in Harvard’s favor.
Sophomore Mitchell Holcomb started in game two but struggled to put away Harvard batters.
The bottom of the second went poorly for Holcomb and the Quakers, as the first Harvard batter was walked, the second hit by a pitch, and the third able to hit a triple off of a fielding error.
In total, Holcomb let up five runs before being relieved by freshman Cole Sichley. Sichley allowed two more hits before ending Harvard’s second inning eight-run burst.
Led by senior Andrew Murnane, Penn was able to respond with three runs. The Harvard pitcher, Simon Rosenblum-Larson, hit Adams, Phelan, and McGeagh to give the Quakers some life.
Over the next six innings, the Red and Blue were only able to string together two more runs. Meanwhile, Harvard put the nail in the coffin and ended the game with a total of 14.
Freshman pitcher Robby Cerulle took over the game in the fourth inning, before being relieved by senior Jordan Della Valle in the seventh. Five of the Crimson players scored with Cerulle on the mound, and one with Della Valle.
Sunday proved to be more favorable for Penn, as the Quakers used an eighth-inning rally to win 6-5. Sophomore Christian Scafidi started the day, allowing seven hits and the Crimson’s only five runs of the game.
The Quakers brought in four other pitchers to end the game, and they were able to prevent Harvard from adding to its run tally. Junior John Alan Kendrick was credited with the win, playing three innings and posting a solid four strikeouts.
On the offensive side, the Quakers were able to convert all game long. Fourth-inning singles by freshman Christian Walton, freshman Eduardo Malinowski, and Phelan brought Penn up to four, and in the eighth, McGeagh was able to score Malinowski and junior Matt Tola.
After another disappointing series loss, the Quakers have now lost two Ivy series and have tied one.
On April 14, they will seek to bolster their Ivy standing in New Jersey against their rivals, the Princeton Tigers.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate