Penn Sweeps Cornell in Closely Contested Series

Penn (15-14, 9-5 Ivy) upset first-place Cornell (12-16, 5-5 Ivy) in an important series between Lou Gehrig Division title contenders, as the Quakers swept the Big Red 4-2 and 5-4 on April 14.

Both teams received solid performances from their rotation, but the Quaker starters narrowly outclassed the Big Red's. Penn's win in the first game was due in large part to the performance of freshman starter Todd Roth, who picked up his fourth consecutive Ivy win and his fifth overall. Cornell senior starter Jim Hyland struggled, allowing four runs in five innings, although sophomore reliever Stephen Osterer was able to keep the Big Red in the game by holding the Quakers scoreless over the final two innings. But Cornell was unable to solve Roth, who struck out seven in the complete game victory.

The second game was a nail-biter, with Penn jumping out to a 3-2 lead after three innings thanks to RBIs by freshman shortstop Will Gordon, junior outfielder Michael Gatti, and senior outfielder Joey Boaen. Penn got two insurance runs in the seventh to chase Cornell freshman starter Tony Bertucci from the game and push the margin to 5-2, but Cornell rallied back, scoring two runs in the eighth on a pair of Quaker errors. Penn's Andy Console, however, rebounded to retire the Big Red in order in the ninth to preserve the win. Jim Birmingham tossed seven innings, allowing two runs while striking out six, for the win, while Bertucci gave up five runs in six and one-third innings to take the loss.

The proposed doubleheader to close the series on April 15 was postponed. The Quakers will face Lehigh at home today at 3 p.m., while the Big Red will travel to face Columbia on April 21.

Crimson Pitching Shuts Down Bulldogs in Two-Game Set

The Harvard (12-12, 7-3 Ivy) pitching staff led the Crimson to victory against fellow Red Rolfe Division school Yale (10-21, 3-7 Ivy), sweeping the Bulldogs 5-1 and 6-0 on April 14.

Although Harvard freshman starter Max Perlman (3-1) pitched a solid game for the Crimson, with eight strikeouts and only three hits allowed, Yale's loss in the first game can be attributed more to errors from the defense than the performance of their starter, sophomore Stefan Schropp (2-3), who also pitched a complete game. Only three of Harvard's five runs were earned, as the Bulldogs committed a pair of errors in the third, allowing two runs to score.

The Crimson used contributions from the entire team to pick up the win in game one. Seven different Harvard players got a hit, four drove in runs, and five scored, while Yale's only run in the first game came off a solo homer from senior Justin Ankney.

Harvard benefited from another good pitching performance in the second game, as Shawn Haviland struck out seven in eight scoreless innings. Yale junior starter Chris Wietlispach struggled, however, giving up all six runs in his four innings of work before the Elis' bullpen took over, holding Harvard scoreless over the last four innings.

Yale was unable to capitalize on the few chances they did get against Haviland. In the sixth, senior Pedro Obregon struck out to end the inning with runners on the corners, while Ankney grounded out to end the seventh with runners on second and third. The Bulldogs would end up stranding 10 baserunners in the second game.

The doubleheader to close the series between the two schools on April 15 was postponed due to the weather, and the makeup date has not been announced. Harvard will play Boston College today at 3 p.m., while Yale will face Fairfield at home on April 18.

Brown (12-14, 7-3) proved why it sits tied with Harvard atop the Red Rolfe Division with an offensive explosion on April 14 against Dartmouth (5-19-1, 2-8 Ivy), sweeping the Big Green 20-2 and 10-3 for a stunning 30 runs over the two games.

In the first game, Brown's offense came through in support of junior starter Jeff Dietz, who struck out 11 in a complete game. In the first game, all nine starters picked up hits, and the Bears scored at least once in every inning, including five in the sixth. Freshman Chris Tanabe hit his first collegiate home run and stolen base, went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, and led the team with five RBIs. Sophomore Steve Daniels went 2-for-6 with a team-leading four runs scored and two RBIs. Senior Bryan Tews went 3-for-3 in game two with two solo homers.

Brown's offensive showing came at the expense of a beleaguered Dartmouth pitching staff. In the first game, freshman starter Robert Young was slammed for eight runs in three innings, while junior Chase Carpenter, following in relief, lasted just 2.2 innings, allowing 10 runs. And while Brown senior starter James Cramphin struck out 10 over six innings in game two, Dartmouth senior starter Jeff Wilkerson gave up nine runs over six innings, putting the game out of reach for the Big Green.

The scheduled doubleheader between Brown and Dartmouth for April 15 was postponed with no announced make-up date. The Bears face Marist at home today, and Dartmouth will face Holy Cross at Worcester on April 18 after today's scheduled contest against Vermont was canceled.