Winning pitchers

The Penn baseball team just wrapped up its Florida trip today with a 12-1 thrashing of NJIT. The week certainly had some very low points, most notably an 18-0 loss to UConn, as the Quakers finished up with a 3-4 record. However, the two starting pitchers that combined for Penn's three wins were excellent and might have emerged as a reliable one-two punch. Just look at today's doubleheader pitting the Quakers against Dominican and NJIT.

Todd Roth has picked up where he left off last season. The big right-hander -- who recorded a tremendous 1.98 ERA as a freshman last year and was named as a freshman All-American -- has mowed down the opposition over the past few weeks. Today against NJIT, he hurled seven strong and struck out nine. Against Maine earlier in the trip, he threw seven innings and fanned nine batters as well. It seems that the sky is the limit for this kid, and Penn is very lucky to have him.

And to balance out Roth, southpaw Tom Grandieri -- the only lefty on the staff -- is making a name for himself. After two successful appearances out of the pen, the sophomore transfer made his first start today against Dominican. He walked one and struck out five in 5.1 innings and also knocked in a run, guiding the Quakers to a 7-1 victory. In 8.2 innings this season, he's given up one hit and two earned runs.

This young, righty-lefty duo looks to be a very promising one for Penn going forward. Roth is obviously more experienced and tested as a starter, but Grandieri's successful outing in his first career start for the Red and the Blue after starting out in the bullpen is quite impressive. And the best part is that they're both just sophomores. The Quakers will be back in action against Temple on Wednesday, and the Ivy League season begins on March 29 at home against Yale.