The pitching was perfect.
The hitting was clutch.
The comebacks were dramatic.
Sophomore Ben Crockett and junior John Birtwell combined for 14 strikeouts, and juniors Scot Hopps and Joe Llanes came through with timely RBI pinch-hits as the Harvard baseball team swept a pair from Columbia, 4-2 and 8-7 (11 innings).
"The sweep this weekend was huge for us," Crockett said. "We've struggled a little in non-conference play, and missing the sweep in the final game last weekend against Princeton left a sour taste in our mouths."
Crockett (3-0) picked up the win in the opener with a complete game six-hitter, and Birtwell pitched a solid nine innings in the second game, allowing four earned runs and striking out eight in the extra-innings win.
"We expect a lot of our pitching staff," Crockett said. "We knew Penn was a good hitting team and tried to prepare by going over their hitters. They hit some good balls off us today, and we were lucky our bats were able to come through for us."
Sophomore third baseman Nick Carter led the Crimson (12-12, 7-1 Ivy) with five hits and a pair of RBI, while Penn freshman right-hander Benjamin Otero was the brightest light for the Quakers (13-13, 4-4 Ivy), allowing four earned runs and striking out six over eight innings in a losing effort.
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