Perlman would not allow another run until the sixth inning, as Harvard fought back yet again. The Crimson plated a run in the third and two in the fourth—including a steal of home by O’Neill—before Way belted a solo homerun in the fifth to give the visitors a 7-6 lead.

But Penn would scratch out another unearned run in the bottom of the sixth, this time resulting from a Perlman throwing error. The senior ace finished the day with four strikeouts in seven innings and a no-decision.

Despite six errors from the Quakers, Harvard could not muster any more runs of its own, as the bats on both sides went quiet until the 12th. Senior Ben Sestanovich came on in relief after four scoreless innings from junior Will Keuper and fell victim to another throwing error. After allowing a leadoff single, Sestanovich attempted to field a sacrifice bunt only to hit the runner in the back with his throw, allowing Dan Williams to advance to third. The Crimson intentionally loaded the bases to face Spencer Branigan, but the designated hitter lofted a fly ball deep enough to score Williams, sending Harvard to an 0-2 start in Ivy play.

PENN 8, HARVARD 1

The first Ancient Eight game of the season featured much less drama. Senior Eric Eadington and Penn hurler Paul Cusick were locked in a pitching duel through two innings, before Harvard broke through in the top of the third. Albright reached base on a fielding error, and a sacrifice bunt and O’Neill single moved the captain to third. Franklin’s groundout proved enough to plate Albright and stake the Crimson to a 1-0 lead.

But Penn would fire right back, as Rick Brebner belted a homerun to right to tie the game. From there, luck seemed to swing toward the Quakers. A pair of infield singles and errors set Penn up for three more runs in the frame—a lead Harvard could not make up. The Quakers would add three runs in the fifth and one in the sixth, plenty of offense behind Cusick’s complete-game, 12-strikeout performance.

“It was a difficult weekend, but it’s the Ivy League—we’ve got 16 more games and anything could happen,” Albright said.

—Staff writer Max N. Brondfield can be reached at mbrondf@fas.harvard.edu.