Twenty-one runs, 30 hits, and 21 innings later, the Quakers reigned supreme.
On Saturday in New Hampshire, Penn and Dartmouth played the longest baseball game in Ivy League history—a 21-inning contest that saw the Red & Blue prevail 21-15.
A wild affair lasting six hours and 22 minutes, the game featured 55 hits, 36 runs, 206 plate appearances (an NCAA record), 176 at-bats (also an NCAA record), 10 doubles, four triples, three home runs, a grand slam, and the first Penn player to hit for the cycle in 19 years.
Dartmouth was ahead 6-5 headed into the eighth inning. In the top of the eighth, junior infielder Chris Adams hit a single to left field, which scored senior infielder Matt McGeagh and tied the game at 6-6. Freshman infielder Craig Larsen followed with a two-out grand slam over the left field wall, which gave the Quakers a 10-6 lead. The Big Green scored one run in the bottom of the eighth, and it was a 10-7 game headed into the ninth inning.
Three runs scored by Dartmouth in the bottom of the ninth sent the game into extra innings. The Big Green hit a home run and then tied the game with a two-run double.
Both teams went scoreless in the 10th, 11th, and 12th innings. In the 13th, with runners on first and second, freshman infielder Josh Hood hit a double to left field, which scored senior first baseman Sean Phelan. Senior catcher Matt O’Neill then hit a triple, which knocked in two runs and put the Quakers up 13-10. Dartmouth scored three runs in the bottom of the 13th, and the saga continued.
Junior outfielder Peter Matt led off the 21st inning with a triple. Phelan hit a single, which scored Matt and gave the Red & Blue a 14-13 lead. Hood followed with a three-run home run, which put Penn up 17-13. Freshman outfielder Tommy Courtney hit a two-run double with runners on first and second to give Penn a 19-13 lead. An RBI by Adams and another by sophomore outfielder Kyle Cronk put the Quakers up 21-13. Dartmouth scored two runs in the bottom of the 21st to make the final 21-15.
A host of records were broken during the game. Penn’s 30 hits are the most one-game total in school history. The Red & Blue’s 92 at-bats are the most one-game total in NCAA history. Matt and Larsen set the NCAA record for most at-bats in a single game with 12 apiece. O’Neill walked five times, the most single-game total in Penn baseball history. The Quakers hit eight doubles, the most in a single game in school history.
Larsen became the first Quaker to hit for the cycle in 19 years. In 12 at-bats, he had a single, two doubles, a triple, and a grand slam. For his efforts, he has been named Ivy League Rookie of the Week, Ivy League Player of the Week, and Big 5 Player of the Week.
