Cornell remains the conference’s top dog, while Dartmouth—currently riding a 10-game win streak—leads the Red Rolfe Division.
BROWN
Brown (8-30, 5-11 Ivy) had a tough week, going 1-6 since last Tuesday. After being swept in the midweek twin bill against Holy Cross, the Bears took a trip to Cambridge, Mass. to take on Red Rolfe divisional rival Harvard. After losing the first three games of the two-day series, the Brown offensive came alive during Saturday’s nightcap, scoring 22 runs on 25 hits, with senior infielder Graham Tyler and senior outfielder Mike DiBiase combining to go 9-for-12.
After losing 13-4 against in-state rival Rhode Island yesterday, the Bears play two doubleheaders against Yale this weekend and wrap up the season against Marist on May 1.
CORNELL
The Big Red (28-11-1, 13-3 Ivy) continues to lead the league after going 3-1 against Penn this weekend. Cornell started off the week on a sour note, getting swept by Siena College in a doubleheader last Tuesday. During the weekend, the Big Red hosted Penn, beating the Quakers in the first three before dropping Saturday’s nightcap. Cornell shut out Penn in the first game on both Friday and Saturday, with sophomore pitcher Connor Kaufman pitching his second no-hitter of the season on Saturday. Yesterday’s 9-5 victory against Binghamton will keep the Big Red’s momentum going into its games against Princeton this weekend.
DARTMOUTH
Dartmouth (18-15, 11-5 Ivy) had the best week of all the Ivy teams, going undefeated against both conference and nonconference opponents. Building on its three-game win streak from the week before, the Big Green started last week off with a dominant performance over Hartford, winning 14-5 on the road. Dartmouth took the streak back home last weekend, facing Red Rolfe divisional rival Yale. Behind star performances such as the shutout in game one on Saturday by junior Kyle Hunter, the Big Green was able to sweep the Bulldogs, bringing its win streak to eight. With Tuesday’s 5-3 win over Quinnipiac and yesterday’s 9-6 victory against Boston College, the streak stands at 10 games, as Dartmouth tries to extend it again Harvard this weekend to earn a spot in the championship.
HARVARD
Harvard (11-27, 7-9 Ivy) holds the second-place spot in the Red Rolfe division after going 3-2 last week. In the second round of the Beanpot, the Crimson faced UMass last Wednesday, losing 8-7. The weekend saw the Crimson host divisional opponent Brown. In game one on Friday, the Harvard offense mounted an impressive comeback—down 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning, it scored in each of the next three innings to take the game 7-4. Harvard went on to win the next two games against the Bears before falling 22-9 in Saturday’s nightcap. With no nonconference games scheduled for this week, Harvard will host Dartmouth on Saturday before visiting the Big Green on Sunday for the season’s final game.
PENNSYLVANIA
The Red and Blue (16-20, 7-9 Ivy), like Brown, had a rough week, going 1-4 in all competitions. After losing 6-3 to St. Joseph’s in the Liberty Bell Classic final last Tuesday, the Quakers hosted Cornell during the weekend. The Big Red swept Penn on Friday and also took game one on Saturday before allowing a Quaker comeback in the nightcap. Penn was able to beat Cornell 4-3 on Saturday evening with the game’s third pitcher, freshman Dan Gautieri, protecting a Red and Blue lead in the seventh. The Quakers wrap up the season this weekend against the Lions.
PRINCETON
After going 1-4 last week, Princeton (17-18, 10-6 Ivy) joined the one-win club along with Brown and fellow Lou Gehrig divisional rival Penn. The Tigers dropped their midweek match to St. John’s 8-4, then headed north to take on the Columbia. After losing to the Lions in game one on Friday, Princeton came back in the nightcap to beat Columbia 5-2. Junior pitcher Zak Hermans shut down Columbia in the fifth, allowing the Tigers’ offense to take the lead behind an RBI double from junior outfielder John Mishu and an RBI single from sophomore infielder Mike Ford. Despite the late comeback on Friday, Columbia swept Princeton on Saturday. The Tigers’ woes continued with another loss against Rider yesterday, 10-9, as they were unable to overcome the Broncs’ early advantages. Princeton will play its final Ivy games against Cornell this weekend in a four-game, away-home series.
YALE
Yale (10-30-1, 2-14 Ivy) continues to flail at the bottom of the Red Rolfe Division with the Ivy’s worst league record. Despite notching an early win after hosting Sacred Heart last Tuesday, during which sophomore second baseman Jacob Hunter hit his first career home run, the Bulldogs lost four straight to Dartmouth last weekend. However, they were able to turn things around on Tuesday, defeating Holy Cross 5-4. Yale closes the books on the 2012 season this weekend against Brown.
