Ivy League Rivals Set for Cold, Wet Opener at Yale Field

WEST HAVEN, Conn. (Interstat) — The Brown Bears and Yale Bulldogs are set to open an Ivy League baseball doubleheader on Saturday at Yale Field, with first pitch scheduled for a cold and rainy afternoon with a game-time temperature of 46 degrees.

The Bulldogs (8-6) enter with a winning record and are projected as strong favorites. Interstat’s game simulator forecasts a 6-4 Yale victory, while its ELO rating system gives the Bulldogs a 69.4% probability to win the opener.

Yale looks to rebound from a 15-9 midweek loss at Quinnipiac. A key player to watch is reliever Brett Faccio, who struck out all three batters he faced in that contest. Over his last three effective outings, spanning 7.1 innings, Faccio has allowed just two earned runs while striking out 12.

The Bears (5-9) aim to snap a two-game skid after falling 7-3 to Northeastern on Wednesday. Brown will rely on pitcher Bryan Yang, who was sharp in that loss, tossing 3.2 scoreless innings with four hits allowed and two strikeouts. His season, however, has been uneven, highlighted by a tough outing against Rhode Island on March 8 where he surrendered six earned runs in just 1.1 innings.

Offensively, Brown’s Christian Butera drove in two runs in the loss to Northeastern.

This game marks the start of Ivy League play for both teams. The second game of the doubleheader will follow at Yale Field.