Penn defeated Cornell in both games of a doubleheader on April 11 at Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium, pushing its Ivy League win streak to four games with victories of 7-3 and 14-5. The Quakers now have five consecutive wins overall and have beaten the Big Red seven times in a row, their longest such streak since the early 2000s.
The results are significant for both teams’ standings in the Ivy League. Penn improved to a record of 13-15 overall and 7-4 in league play, while Cornell fell to 6-19 overall and 4-7 in the conference.
In game one, Penn overcame an early two-run deficit with a four-run rally in the fifth inning that included three unearned runs. Gavin Collins hit a two-out, two-run home run in the seventh inning to extend Penn’s lead. Marty Coyne earned his fourth win of the season by pitching seven innings of relief and retiring the final seven batters he faced. For Cornell, junior third baseman Luke Johnson contributed early offense by scoring after reaching base with a single. Junior left-handed pitcher Huxley Holcombe recorded his milestone hundredth career strikeout but took the loss after allowing four runs (one earned) over nearly five innings.
Game two saw Penn take control quickly with six runs in the first inning—three unearned—helped by errors from Cornell’s defense and aggressive baserunning. The Quakers led by as much as twelve runs before Cornell managed to score four times in the sixth inning. Senior center fielder Caden Wildman had multiple hits for Cornell across both games while Andrew Houghton provided stability out of the bullpen with four innings pitched.
Several individual milestones were noted: Holcombe became only the third active Big Red pitcher to reach one hundred career strikeouts; Carlson extended his on-base streak to eleven games during game one; Barela notched his fourth three-hit game this season; Hower achieved his first three-hit game of his career; and Houghton matched his season high for strikeouts during an extended relief appearance.
Cornell will attempt to avoid being swept when it faces Penn again on Sunday at Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium. Senior right-handed pitcher Ethan Hamill is scheduled to start for Cornell against Penn’s Nick Newburn.
