PHILADELPHIA - After poor field conditions forced a venue change from Meiklejohn Stadium to Smithson Field, Penn (5-14, 1-2 Ivy) failed to overcome the hostile conditions at fellow Big Five member Saint Joseph's (9-11, 0-3 Atlantic-10), falling to the Hawks in extra innings by a tight 7-4 margin. The Quakers offense closed the gap with three combined runs in the seventh and ninth frames, but play was suspended due to darkness to Wednesday afternoon; Saint Joseph's quickly retook the lead once the game started up again - blasting a three-run homer over the left-field fence - and Penn was unable to come up with an answer during the bottom half of the 10th, finalizing the 7-4 mark.

Saint Joseph's 7, Penn 4
WP: Ryan Kelly (1-0)
LP: Jacob Sadowitz (0-1)
SV: Hayden Seig (1)


HOW IT HAPPENED
The first inning proved eventful for both dugouts as a run crossed for both Penn and Saint Joseph's, knotting the score at one apiece. For the Quakers, junior Sean Phelan's single through the left gap scored sophomore Chris Adams, who reached during his leadoff at-bat on a hit-by-pitch. The Hawks bounced back in the third and fourth frames, notching a two-run homer in the former and a RBI double in the latter to reclaim the early advantage, 4-1.

The seventh inning proved the decisive turning point for the Quakers' offense, as Adams got things started by sending junior Matt McGeagh home with an RBI walk. A balk scored sophomore Peter Matt to pull Penn within one, but both Phelan and freshman Eduardo Malinowski failed to plate the pair of runners in scoring position before moving on to the eighth inning. A second opportunity arose in the final frame, though, as both senior Andrew Murnane and Adams reached on a walk and single, respectively, setting up Malinowski to knock in the former with a single to left and send the game to extra innings.

Play resumed Wednesday afternoon, and Saint Joseph's wasted no time in reclaiming the lead with a three-run homer just inside the left-field foul pole. The Quakers' bats were unable to come up with an answer, though, as no one reached in the final three at-bats.

Usual short-reliever Cole Sichley earned his first start for the Quakers, tossing a strong two and one-third frames with two hits, three earned runs along with a notable four strikeouts. The freshman was replaced only after the Hawks jacked a two-run homer over the left field fence, leaving the game first to junior John Alan Kendrick (2.2 IP, 4 hits, 1 run) before Jordan Della Valle took over to start the sixth. The senior held on for two outs, setting up freshman Brendan Bean to close out the inning and toss through the seventh frame. Junior Grant Guillory handled the remainder of the game Tuesday, allowing just one hit with no runs and three strikeouts, setting up sophomore Jacob Sadowitz to take over entering Wednesday's continuation. The southpaw surrendered a three-run homer and the lead before closing out the frame.

Meanwhile, Saint Joseph's starter, Brian Edgington, put together an impressive performance on the bump, throwing five innings with just three hits, one run and three strikeouts. The Hawks' massive bullpen slowed down the Penn offense in the later innings, escaping major threats in both the fourth and seventh frames before surrendering the game-tying run in the ninth.


NEXT UP
The Quakers finally have an opportunity to christen Meiklejohn Stadium for the first time this season over the weekend, battling Ivy League foe Dartmouth in a Saturday doubleheader before closing out the three-game series with a afternoon matchup on Sunday.