Heading into the top of the ninth inning with an 11-8 lead in the second game of a doubleheader against Harvard yesterday afternoon, it looked like the Quakers were finally ready to put a close on their first Ivy League win.
But their fortune changed quickly as the Crimson's Matt Rogers homered to left center to pull Harvard within one. By the end of the inning the game was all tied up and headed for extra innings.
Penn literally ran into trouble in the bottom of the 10th, when with one out outfielder Adrian Thomas was caught stealing after a failed bunt attempt by second baseman Steve Gable.
The Crimson capitalized on the Quakers' failed opportunity in the top of the 11th. Harvard catcher Tyler Albright and third baseman Jeff Reynolds hit back-to-back doubles to score the winning run. Junior Dan Zailskas added to the score by hitting a three-run homer to give the Crimson (4-16, 2-2 Ivy) a 15-11 lead that they would not relinquish.
The Quakers also blew a third-inning 4-0 lead in a 6-4 loss in the opener. The pair of defeats dropped Penn's Ivy League record to 0-4 this season - and that against Dartmouth and Harvard squads that had combined for 3-22 overall records before this past weekend.
The Quakers' play yesterday was marked by late-inning pitching woes for which coach John Cole took the brunt of the blame.
"We've just go to do a better job coaching," Cole said. "We need to get our guys in a better position to be successful."
The players also expressed disappointment with the team's effort and underscored the importance of improving in time for the rest of the Ivy League schedule.
"We're going to have to get back to work at practice, but luckily we have a game against Delaware [today] so we can get back to work," pitcher and outfielder Tom Grandieri said.
The Quakers (10-11, 0-4) will need to rebound quickly as they will face Delaware (15-8) in the first round of the Liberty Bell Classic this afternoon at Meiklejohn Stadium.
The Blue Hens have won nine of their last 11 games and are led by junior infielder Carlos Alonso, who boasts a .427 batting average on the season.
Also leading the way for Delaware will be senior catcher Bill Merkler, who has posted a .340 batting average with a team-leading nine home runs on the season.
"We're playing a very good Delaware team that is strong and physical," Cole said. "We've got our hands full and hopefully we'll come up with more luck out of the game."
The Quakers have never won the Liberty Bell Classic since its inception in 1992, while the Blue Hens last won the tournament in 2002.
But after this past weekend, the Red and Blue probably just want a chance to lick their wounds.
