THE SERIES: Penn (7-15-1, 2-3-1 Ivy) vs. Harvard (4-12, 0-0 Ivy) | Apr. 7-8 | Cambridge, Mass.

Projected Starters (Penn vs. Harvard)
Game One: Saturday, Apr. 7 at 11:30 a.m.
LHP Gabe Kleiman (0-4, 3.86 ERA) vs. Noah Zavolas (2-1, 5.06 ERA)

Game Two: Saturday, Apr. 7 at ~2:30 p.m.
RHP Mitchell Holcomb (0-2, 2.90 ERA) vs. Simon Rosenblum-Larson (1-1, 3.38 ERA)

Game Three: Sunday, Apr. 8 at 1:00 p.m.
RHP Christian Scafidi (1-3, 4.58 ERA) vs. TBD (0-0, 0.00 ERA)


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LIVE STATS - Game One | Game Two | Game Three

LIVE STREAM - Saturday (DH) | Sunday

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PHILADELPHIA - Penn continued to work against the elements this past week, shifting the midweek matchup from Villanova back one day and across town to the Wildcats' home field in Plymouth Meeting, Pa., marking the eighth overall scheduled home game pushed out of Meiklejohn Stadium due to weather concerns this season. Despite the challenges of last-minute changes, the Quakers fought Villanova into extra innings, pulling off a dramatic walk-off victory behind junior Matt O'Neill's RBI single in the 11th frame, 2-1. For the second time this year (albeit the first scheduled time), Penn turns its attention to a road conference slate, traveling to Cambridge, Mass., to face off with Harvard in a three-game series this Saturday and Sunday.

Offensively, the Quakers' bats have been on and off the past four games, struggling early before racking up a few multi-run innings late. During last weekend's series with Dartmouth, Penn posted 11 combined runs in the final three innings plus extras, tying the game in ninth during both of Sunday's doubleheader matchups against the Big Green. The past four games have also showcased a positive trend for the Quakers, as less dependence on stud batters and a more reliable order has upended a number of opposing pitchers. And while the triple threat of Sean Phelan (.333 BA, 14 RBIs), Matt McGeagh (.264 BA, 23 RBIs) and Chris Adams (.286 BA, 9 doubles) continues to impress, Penn seems to have found - and in some cases, recovered - notable bats, including seniors Andrew Murnane and Daniel Halevy, junior Matt O'Neill and the rising freshman duo of Eduardo Malinowski and Kyle Cronk.

The mound has proven a different animal, though, with starters fluctuating throughout the early slew of series of the season. Following the home stretch with Dartmouth, however, Penn looks set with its weekend rotation, settling on senior Gabe Kleiman to open while with sophomores Mitchell Holcomb and Chrisitan Scafidi wrap up the final two matchups. Bullpen reliability has also risen to an all-time high after this past week's midweek game at Villanova, as a combination of eight usual relievers chalked up 18 strikeouts against the Wildcats in the extra innings victory. Freshmen Brendan Bean, Robby Cerulle and Cole Sichley have been the surprise additions to the group, compiling 30.0 innings pitched on the year with just 21 hits and 12 earned runs, not to mention three of the staff's six lowest opposing batting averages.


SCOUTING HARVARD
The Crimson enter the weekend series boasting one of the Ivy League's best overall records, sitting at 10-13 on the year with a 1-2 conference showing, dropping two of three this past weekend at Columbia. Despite the recent losses, though, Harvard recovered for a massive victory Wednesday afternoon, knocking off ACC foe Boston College in 11 frames, 7-4. Penn's visit on Saturday will mark the Crimson's home opener, as poor weather conditions have plagued the Boston-area the past few weeks, including two nor'easters.

The Harvard offense has looked to a one-two punch from a pair of juniors -  Ben Skinner and Patrick McColl - fpr production, who together combine for 52 hits, 35 RBIs and 11 doubles on the year. Skinner currently leads the team with his .413 on-base percentage and eight stolen bases, and poses just as much a threat running the bases as at the plate. Meanwhile, the pitching rotation relies on Simon Rosenblum-Larson, Kevin Stone and Noah Zavolas for the heavy-lighting at the mound, each tossing 30.0 innings apiece or more on a combined 15 starts. Primary relief has come from a couple young guns, including Buddy Hayward, Jack Mahala, Kieran Shaw and Hunter Bigge, as the quartet has consistently provided strong strong showings out of the bullpen.