Game One Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - The University of Pennsylvania baseball team opened its 2017 Ivy League schedule Sunday at Meiklejohn Stadium, sweeping visiting Harvard 4-0 and 7-4 to extend the team's current win streak to nine and remain undefeated at home this season. Jake Cousins scattered three hits over six shutout innings to pick up his third win of the season in game one, while Matt O'Neill's three-run, game-tying home run and Matt Tola's go-ahead RBI single in the seventh carried Penn to the game two victory.

GAME 1
Harvard 0, Penn 4
WP: Jake Cousins (3-1) LP: Rosenblum-Larson (2-3)

GAME 2
Harvard 4, Penn 7
WP: Grant Guillory (1-0) LP: Grant Stone (1-2) SV: Billy Lescher (2)

BY THE NUMBERS
*2 - The Penn pitching staff allowed just three earned runs in 16 innings Sunday, lowering the team ERA to an Ivy League-leading 3.40. Four pitchers (Reitcheck, Cousins, Lescher, Nelson) now sport ERAs under two, led by Billy Lescher and Mike Reitcheck who are each at 1.15.
*6 - The offense recorded three doubles in each game Sunday, making it six straight games Penn has hit at least three doubles
*8 - The Quakers have now won eight of the last ten meetings over Harvard after Sunday's sweep.
*9 - With two more wins today, the Quakers extend their win streak to nine games - the highest such streak since the 2014 season when Penn won 11 in a row.
*11 - At least five starters in the lineup have recorded a hit in all 11 wins this season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Game One
The Quakers were first on the board in the Ivy League opener Sunday, as Tim Graul, Sean Phelan and Peter Matt singled in consecutive at-bats to load the bases with two outs against Harvard starter Simon Rosenblum-Larson. Chris Adams delivered the big hit of the inning - a two-run single back through the middle to score Graul and Phelan with the game's first runs to take a 2-0 lead.

A pitching duel ensued from then on, as Jake Cousins continued his strong start to the season with his fifth-consecutive start of at least six innings. The senior allowed just three hits in his outing - one each in the first, third and fourth innings - while striking out four on the day. Cousins stranded all four runners he allowed to get into scoring position, including one in the sixth with the help of first baseman Sean Phelan. With runners on first and second and two away, Phelan slid to his left to knock down a ground ball headed for the right field line and flipped to Cousins at first to end the threat and preserve the two-run lead.

The Quakers added two insurance runs in the bottom half of the sixth on consecutive two-out RBI doubles from Graul and Phelan, which all but sealed the game one victory over Harvard. Jake Nelson came on in relief in the seventh, and struck out two in a perfect inning to lock down Cousins' third win on the year.

Game Two
In search of a sweep in the nightcap, the Quakers found themselves in an early hole after Harvard's bats came to life in the top of the first against starter Adam Bleday. Matt Rothenberg opened the scoring with a run-scoring double to right, followed by Matt Hink's two-run double to deep center to make it a 3-0 Crimson lead after a half inning. The Red and Blue cut into the deficit when Graul doubled to left to score Andrew Murnane after he led off the inning with a walk to make it a 3-1 game through one complete.

After Bleday settled in to post a scoreless top half of the second, Matt McGeagh drove a one-out double to right-center to get things started in the home half. Tola followed with a single to right, and Matt O'Neill tied the game with one swing, launching his first home run of the season to left to give the Quakers a one-run lead after two innings.

Harvard (10-12, 0-4 Ivy) drew even with Penn at four in the fourth inning on a run-scoring single to bring in Trent Bryan, who delivered a one-out triple earlier in the inning. The Crimson had a chance to take the lead the very next inning with runners on second and third and no outs, but Bleday rebounded to strike out the next two hitters looking before inducing an infield pop out to keep the game tied at four.

Both teams traded scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth before Penn was able to break the game open in the bottom of the seventh. Matt led off the frame with a double off the wall in center before McGeagh moved him to third with a well-executed sacrifice bunt, prompting Harvard to bring the infield in to cut off the go-ahead run from scoring. Tola then delivered the eventual game-winning run with a two-strike base-hit to center to score Matt to give Penn a 5-4 lead. The Quakers kept the inning alive by loading the bases with one out, and Adams grounded into a fielder's choice to bring in Tola before an infield error off the bat of Phelan brought in the third run of the inning.

Grant Guillory and Billy Lescher combined for three innings of two-hit ball in relief to lock down the 7-4 win, earning Guillory his first win of the season and Lescher's second save on the year. Bleday went six innings, allowing just three earned runs while striking out six in the no-decision.

WHAT'S NEXT
The Quakers (11-9, 2-0 Ivy) continue on in Ivy play Monday, making up Saturday's postponed doubleheader against Dartmouth (12-6, 2-0) at 12 p.m. from Meiklejohn Stadium. Mike Reitcheck (2-1, 1.15 ERA) is scheduled to take the ball in game one, followed by lefty Gabe Kleiman (1-0, 5.84 ERA) in game two.