PHILADELPHIA - Not much could slow down the the University of Pennsylvania (11-19-1, 5-6-1 Ivy) offense on Tuesday afternoon against fellow Big Five member La Salle (10-24, 2-10 Atlantic-10), as the Quakers dispatched the visiting Explorers 17-7 decision at Meiklejohn Stadium. The second inning proved the crucial turning point of the matchup, as Penn batted through its entire line-up and then some, scoring 12 in the process and cruising to the eventual victory. 

Penn 17, La Salle 7
WP: John Alan Kendrick (2-0)
LP: Austin Constantini (0-2)
SV: None

HOW IT HAPPENED
Despite what the initial score may imply, La Salle actually held a lead through the first inning, notching two runs in the opening frame and another in the top of the second for a quick 3-0 advantage. The remainder of that second inning proved disastrous for the Explorers, though as the Penn batting order powered through its entire line-up nearly twice, plating 12 along the way. Sophomore Peter Matt kicked off the festivities with an RBI single, and fellow sophomore Chris Adams' two-RBI bullet up the middle helped the Quakers grab their first lead of the day. The floodgates remained open during the remainder of the frame as six more batters earned RBIs on either a single or double, eventually settling the score at 12-3.

The offense refused to slow down despite holding a major advantage over La Salle, chalking up a combined five runs in the third and seventh innings. Accordingly, the Explorers continued to try and catch Penn following the 12-run outburst, scoring a run apiece in the third, sixth, eighth and ninth frames.

While the batting order poured the runs on the La Salle pitching staff, the Quakers' bullpen managed to contain any Explorer attempts at a comeback. Beginning with junior John Alan Kendrick, who took over late in the second inning, the Penn staff kept performances short to encourage rest for this weekend's upcoming series with Cornell. Outside of Kendrick's 2.1 frames on the mound, where he struck out five and gave up as many hits, no pitcher threw more than two innings total, as freshman Robby Cerulle and junior Grant Guillory aggregated just four hits with six strikeouts through four frames. Freshman knuckleballer Tim Miller made his career debut for the final three outs, surrendering three hits with one strikeout to close out the win.

NEXT UP
The Quakers  prepare for their final home series of the season, hosting Ivy League foe Cornell in a Saturday doubleheader and a Sunday wrap-up game.