Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ITHACA, N.Y. – The University of Pennsylvania baseball team split today's twin bill in New York, winning game one but falling in game two after a ninth inning comeback by Cornell. Today's two starters had stellar outings. Christian Scafidi pitched a complete game with eight strikeouts in the first game of the twin bill while Mitchell Holcomb pitched 8.1 innings with nine strikeouts in game two.
 
GAME 35: PENN 6, CORNELL 2
WP: Scafidi (5-1)
LP: Colby Wyatt (2-6)
 
GAME 36: PENN 3, CORNELL 4
WP: John Natoli (4-1)
LP: Holcomb (5-1)
 
NOTES
*After a combined 18 hits over both games in today's doubleheader, the 2019 Quakers now hold the program record for hits in a season with 474 knocks this season. Penn still has five games to play.
 
*Sean Phelan is now the sole owner of the program record for appearances after playing in his 162nd and 163rd games today.
 
*Scafidi tossed his first collegiate complete game today. The junior allowed two runs—one unearned—on five hits with eight strikeouts and just one walk.
 
*Holcomb had a solid outing today, despite being scored with the loss. He tossed 8.1 innings with four runs on nine hits with nine strikeouts and just one walk.
 
*Matt O'Neill hit leadoff for the first time this season. Over both games, he went a combined 4-for-6 with two runs scored and an RBI. The senior captain is now batting a team-high .418 this season.
 
*Tommy Courtney made the most of his times reaching base in game one. The freshman went 3-for-4 with three runs scored.
 
*Peter Matt continues to lead the Ivy League with 59 hits after going 3-for-9 today. The junior center fielder hit cleanup in both games—his first time batting in the four spot this season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: GAME 1
Game one of today's doubleheader saw the hosts strike first Cornell got on the board first with a solo homer in the bottom of the first. The hosts doubled the lead in the second frame with a sac fly to center. Penn locked things up on defense and got the bats going to score six unanswered runs from the third inning on.
 
The Quakers tied things up in the third inning. Eduardo Malinowski drew a leadoff walk and a single by Courtney placed runners on first and second. McGeagh moved the pair into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, then a ground out by O'Neill to the shortstop plated Eduardo Malinowski. Phelan tied the game with an RBI double down the right field line to make it 2-2.
 
Penn kept things going with a pair of runs in the fifth. With the bases loaded, the Quakers took the lead after a fielding error. An RBI double by Matt doubled the lead to give Penn a 4-2 lead.
 
The Red and Blue closed out the game with a pair of insurance runs in the top of the ninth. Courtney reached on a throwing error then O'Neill walked to put runners on first and second. Phelan got his second RBI of the day with a single up the right side to plate Courtney. Josh Hood grounded out on a fielder's choice on the following at-bat to bring in O'Neill and make it 6-2.
 
Scafidi gave up a pair of singles to start the final frame, but forced three straight outs—with the final out coming on his eighth K of the day—to give Penn the win in game one.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: GAME 2
Once again, Cornell struck first with a solo homer, this time in the bottom of the second. Penn responded immediately. Matt McGeagh led off with a walk and advanced to third after a double by O'Neill. McGeagh then scored after Phelan grounded out to second, tying the game at 1-1.
 
The Quakers took the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth. Matt led off with a single and advanced to second after a sac bunt by Chris Adams. A single by Malinowski put runners on the corner, then a single through the right side past a diving first baseman by Craig Larsen put Penn in front.
 
Penn added another run on the following at-bat. Courtney grounded into a fielder's choice to the shortstop with the throw on the double play attempt going awry. Malinowski scored on the error, giving Penn a 3-1 lead.
 
Cornell would strike back. After a leadoff double, the Big Red made it a one-run game with an RBI single down the right field line. Holcomb kept the Quakers in front until the final stretch, retiring the Big Red in order in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings.
 
The starter got off to a solid start in the final frame. Holcomb struck out his first batter faced in the frame—his ninth of the game. However, back to back singles following the strikeout led Penn to call the bullpen. Kevin Eaise came out and fanned the first batter he faced, but a two-RBI triple by the Big Red gave the hosts a walk-off win