PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania softball team (9-8, 1-2 Ivy) will play its Ivy League home opener this weekend. The Quakers will take on defending Ivy League champion Harvard Crimson (6-10, 0-0 Ivy) for a single game on Saturday (3 p.m.) and then wrap up with a doubleheader on Sunday (12:30 p.m.).

Previewing Penn
The Red and Blue began their seven-game home-stand on Wednesday by sweeping a double-header against fellow Big 5 school La Salle. The Penn pitching staff gave up just eight hits and didn't allow a single run over the two games.

The Quakers began Ivy League play last week at Yale, taking one of three games in New Haven. Tabitha Dyer threw her second complete-game shutout of the season in the team's win.

Dyer has enjoyed a successful start to her sophomore season as her 5-1 mark in the circle tops the Ivy League. The five wins are also the best mark for a Penn pitcher through six games since Alexis Sargent in 2016.

The lefty's performance has placed her in the national ranks as well. Her 1.27 ERA is 27th in the nation and her 4.34 hits per seven innings also ranks in the top-50 at 37.

While Dyer has been impressive, the Quakers as a team have performed well in the circle. The team's combined 2.91 ERA tops the Ivy League.
At the plate, freshman Emma Nedley is setting the pace. She leads the team in batting average (.340), hits (18) and home runs (3). The Quakers are 5-2 when Nedley scores a run this season.

The Crimson are 6-10 this season and have lost their last six as they return from California. Penn has lost four straight to Harvard which includes a close, 8-7, loss in extra innings in Cambridge last season.