The Penn baseball team finished its cross-divisional play this weekend, splitting a pair of doubleheaders against Yale and Brown with the Lou Gehrig Division race still wide open.

The Quakers made a strong statement in their opening weekend of Ivy play, sweeping Dartmouth and splitting with Harvard. This weekend, they have the chance to start pulling away in the race.

John Cole’s squad could be looking at its first bid for a Gehrig Division crown since 2007 and its first run at an Ivy League title since 1995.

The Quakers fell to Villanova at Meiklejohn Stadium, 5-4, in the penultimate round of the Liberty Bell Classic.

Penn failed to finish off its impressive Ivy League start by surrendering three runs in the ninth, losing, 6-3.

After a pair of series’ against Ivy League opponents, the Penn baseball team will hit the field for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday when they host Villanova in the semifinals of the Liberty Bell Classic.

The Red and Blue made critical plays to sweep the Big Green in back-to-back 3-2 victories before rallying past Harvard with a 4-1 afternoon victory, followed by a rain-delayed 3-3 postponement (at the top of the eighth inning). That game will resume Monday at noon.

Over a two-day span, Penn baseball takes on two opponents in four big games. And there is just one goal: start out Ivy play in the win column as they take on Dartmouth and Harvard this weekend.

The Red and Blue (13-7) trounced Lafayette, 8-1, in the first round of the Liberty Bell Classic, its fourth win in five straight games against the Leopards (3-19).

After struggling last season, senior first baseman Spencer Branigan has become a leader for the young Quakers squad while putting up career-high hitting numbers.

Penn (12-7) took on Lafayette (3-17) in two doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday, winning the first three games before dropping the last one on Sunday afternoon.

This season, Penn baseball’s freshmen have been impressive contributors and have filled some holes left by last year’s graduating class. But much of their success has been due to the upperclassmen leadership, particularly from senior captains and offensive powerhouses Ryan Deitrich and Spencer Branigan.

Thanks to designated hitter Joey Greco’s sixth inning bash, the Quakers (9-6) powered their way to a 12-5 win over their crosstown rival, the Villanova Wildcats (5-13), on Wednesday afternoon. In a game that featured some messy pitching, it was the offense that decided this one.

Wednesday, the Penn baseball team hopes to have a little bit of recent history repeat itself against Villanova.

With the Quakers returning just three seniors, a lot of attention has been placed on the team’s youth. And leading the new wave for the Red and Blue is a group of eight freshmen who are already making an impact for Penn.

In Penn’s first back-to-back doubleheader of the season, the Quakers took three of four games over the weekend to improve their record to 8-6.

What stats signal a good Ivy baseball season? After comparing American League and Ancient Eight statistics, the numbers really don’t lie after all.