They say that the best things in life are free. But you don't have to tell the Penn baseball team that.
After sweeping Harvard yesterday in a road doubleheader that saw seven errors, three walks and three hit batsmen by the Crimson, it's a truism that the Quakers keenly appreciate.
"You have to win the freebie battle," coach John Cole said. "Today we didn't give Harvard anything, and that's why we threw shutouts."
Penn (11-11, 3-4 Ivy) won the contests 10-0 and 5-0, behind error-free ball and great performances from its pitching staff.
Sophomore captain Todd Roth threw a flawless game one, allowing just two hits in a seven-inning complete-game shutout.
"I just felt more relaxed than I had the last couple times out there," said Roth, who needed just 78 pitches to do in the Crimson (1-21, 0-6). "I threw a lot of breaking balls early, and I hit my spots better than I had been."
Freshman Sam Gilbert picked up the victory in game two, with sophomore Reid Terry getting the save behind 3.1 innings of one-hit ball.
But as spot-on as Penn was, the real story was Harvard's futility in the field.
The windy conditions certainly didn't make it easy on the Crimson, whose errors led to nine unearned runs. In a stretch that encapsulated the whole afternoon, Harvard gave up three runs on no hits in the seventh inning of game one. Two walks, two HBPs, two wild pitches and an error will do that to a team.
Cole wanted the Quakers to force the issue.
"We were very aggressive today. We had more of a speed lineup in," he said. "We had some successful hit-and-runs, we bunted the ball well and we put them under some pressure. And that had a lot to do with some of their mistakes."
As designated hitter Tom Grandieri said, "We were just stealing bags and running around like crazy."
The Crimson simply couldn't keep up. Grandieri was 6-for-9 with three RBI on the day from the two-hole, and second baseman Steve Gable was once again efficient from the leadoff spot, notching four hits and scoring four runs over the twin bill.
After dropping two mistake-laden games to Dartmouth on Sunday, the sweep was all but necessary for the Red and Blue.
"We definitely needed both of these to save the weekend," Roth said. "Even coming out with a split today would have been a terrible weekend for us."
The Quakers will have the opportunity to use any momentum gained from yesterday's sweep with a short turnaround - today they head northwest to take on Villanova.
The Wildcats (13-15, 4-5 Big East) haven't had a great season, having been outscored 192-158, but boast a few solid power hitters.
Outfielders Joe Cotter, James Dolbier and Dan Terpak have each hit four homers this season despite playing in the spacious Villanova Ballpark. But Villanova's overall hitting numbers are almost as pitcher-friendly as its stadium - as a team, the Wildcats are hitting just .261.
Grandieri, who transferred from Villanova this year, said that it could be a small ball type of game: "They like to bunt and move runners like that, so as long as we play good defense and hit, we'll be alright."
But for Grandieri, today's contest may provide a nice break from the conference season, and an opportunity to see some old friends.
"It'll be a little different. My buddies have been texting me throughout the day saying they're looking forward to seeing me - so no hard feelings," he said. "I'm sure I'll be a little nervous to get out there and sit in the opposite dugout."
