PHILADELPHIA - It was a tale of two games on Sunday at Penn Park. The University of Pennsylvania softball team (11-9, 3-3 Ivy) exploded for 12 runs to take game on of the doubleheader, 12-2, before edging out the final game of the series, 3-2. With the win, the Quakers have won four of their last five and return to .500 in Ivy League play.
Notes
* The series win over Harvard marks the first for Penn since 2015.
* The Quakers' 12 runs are the most they've scored in a game this season. The last time they scored for runs, they defeated Princeton, 12-11 last season. The 12 runs scored against Harvard are the most since defeating the Crimson 15-14 in extra innings in 2015.
* The Red and Blue tallied nine multi-base hits on Sunday.
* Of the 12 innings played on Sunday, Penn went scoreless in just four.
* Seven different batters recorded multiple hits in a game on Sunday.
*
Lucy Yang recorded a career high five RBI. Her previous career high was four which she previously hit early last season against South Dakota State.
*
Sam Pederson tallied four hits in a single game for the fourth time in her career. She last reached that mark against Yale last season. The senior came a home run shy of hitting for the cycle on Sunday.
* Pederson's triple in the first game marked the fifth triple of her career. She now has seven triples in her career which ties her for third all-time in program history,
*
Julia Longo recorder the first complete game of her career. The freshman threw seven innings in the final game on Sunday to secure the series win for the Quakers. It also marks the first Ivy League win of her career.
How it Happened
After a close, 8-7, loss to Harvard on Saturday, the Quakers came out of the gates firing on all cylinders Sunday afternoon. In the circle,
Jennifer Brann forced a quick, 1-2-3 inning to leave the Crimson scoreless and set the tone. Then, the Penn bats got going.
Sam Pederson led-off with a double to left center field and
Jessica England followed up with a walk to put a pair of runners on base early.
Lucy Yang got the scoring run going as she hit the second double of the inning for the Quakers to bring both runners home.
Corrie Phillips made it three doubles in the opening frame, bringing home Yang and putting Penn up 3-0 over the Crimson.
Brann caught Harvard's Erin Lockhart looking to keep the Crimson scoreless for a second straight inning. Once again, the Quaker bats took advantage of stellar pitching. Hits from
Kayla Ketring and Pederson as well as a walk from England loaded the bases. With three ducks on the pond, Yang hit a three-run double through the left side to extend the Penn lead to a commanding 6-0.
Harvard scored in the top of the third with a lead-off home run from Lockhart. However, with the bases loaded, Brann forced back-to-back pop-ups to retire the side and end the potential scoring run.
Up five runs, the Quakers didn't take their foot off of the gas. Singles from both Sarah and
Kayla Ketring put two runners on base in the third.
Sam Pederson brought the twins home with her first triple of the season to make it 8-1 for the Red and Blue through three.
Harvard added a second run in the fourth, but again Penn was there to answer in the home side. The Quakers went through the entirety of the lineup in fourth inning, bringing in four runs.
Sarah Cwiertnia and Yang started it off with back-to-back singles to put two runners on early in the inning. Running for Cwiertnia,
Clare Sebastianelli took advantage of a Harvard error to score.
Emma Nedley and Yang joined in on the scoring as Yang stole home and Nedley came in on a double from Phillips. Finally, Phillips put Penn up by ten runs as
Kayla Ketring brought her home.
With a ten run, 12-2 lead, a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth from the Crimson ended the game as the Quakers knotted the series at a game apiece.
Despite a 12-run onslaught in the first game of the day, just one hit from both teams left the first inning scoreless in game two. In the circle, freshman
Julia Longo retired 11 straight Crimson batters to keep Harvard at zeros. The Quaker bats then picked up where they left off in the second inning. Nedley and Phillips started the inning with back-to-back hits and then advanced to scoring position on a wild pitch.
Julia Schneider hit a stand-up double to left center to bring both Nedley and Phillips home to give Penn the early lead for the second consecutive game.
Up 2-0, the Quakers left runners on in the third, but picked it back up in the fourth. Sarah and
Kayla Ketring put two runners on base with two outs.
Jessica England made up for a base-running error previously by bringing in a run with a single to right field to put Penn up, 3-0.
With the series on the line, Harvard climbed back. The Crimson cut into the Quaker lead with two runs in the fifth to make it, 3-2. Holding just a one-run lead with one out and runners on second and third, the freshman pitcher, Longo, stayed mentally tough in the circle. She recorded her first strikeout of the afternoon and then forced a pop-up to retire the side and keep the Quakers in the lead.
Unable to add on to its lead, Penn headed into the seventh, up 3-2. Once again, the Crimson put runners on second and third after a lead-off single and Lockhart was hit by a pitch. Looking to give her team the series win, Longo kept her composure and forced a ground ball to second base for
Sam Pederson to put away at first, securing the Red and Blue win, 3-2.
Up Next
The Quakers with play a mid-week doubleheader on Wednesday against Rider to wrap up their seven-game home-stand before traveling to Dartmouth next weekend.
