PHILADELPHIA - All eyes will be on #IvyMadness in New Haven this weekend, but that won't stop the University of Pennsylvania and Yale from throwing the first pitches of the Ivy League softball season as well. The Quakers returned from Florida last week and after splitting a mid-week double-header at home against Lafayette on Wednesday, they will jump right into Ivy League action this weekend.
Penn will take on Yale in a 12:30 p.m. double-header on Saturday before wrapping up the three-game series on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
Previewing Penn
The Quakers enter the weekend after splitting their mid-week double-header against Lafayette. In game one it was home runs from
Emma Nedley and a walk-off from
Hannah Gibbons in the bottom of the eighth that led the Red and Blue to a, 2-1, victory. Penn made a late-run in the second game, but fell just short of the Leopards, 5-3.
Tabitha Dyer gave up her first earned run of the season against Lafayette. The sophomore had been the only pitcher in the nation with a 0.00 ERA while throwing 20 or more innings. A home run in the first inning ended her streak at 22.1 innings without allowing an earned run. She still ranks second in the nation with a .28 ERA and ranks fifth in the country in hits allowed per seven innings (3.04).
Dyer threw just four innings against the Leopards on Wednesday. Grinding out the win was
Abigail Abramson who threw five strikeouts in four scoreless innings of play.
At the plate,
Sarah Cwiertnia,
Emma Nedley, and
Kayla Ketring are all batting above .300. Cwiertnia is hitting an impressive .389 with five doubles. Nedley, a freshman, already has two home runs in her young career - her most recent against Lafayette was a solo shot to tie the game.
Penn will be looking to gain some early momentum in the Ivy League this weekend against a Yale squad that finished 6-15 during conference play last year.
Penn vs. Yale – Saturday, 12:30 p.m. (DH) | Sunday, 12:30 p.m.
Series Information
All-time series: Yale leads, 45-29 | Last meeting: April 6-7, 2018 (Penn swept three game series)
* Despite trailing the all-time series, Penn has dominated since 2010. Since the turn of the decade, the Quakers are 15-4 against the Bulldogs which included a three-game sweep last season. Last year, the Red and Blue matched a six-run inning from Yale with an eight-run inning of their own on their way to completing the sweep.
The Bulldogs are 4-8 this season and have lost three of their last four. They've won two of three games at home which included a two-game sweep over Hartford.
