NEWARK, Del. - Despite the Penn (12-22-1, 6-8-1 Ivy) pitching staff putting together a strong performance, the Quakers were unable to mount a comeback in their tight loss on the road at Delaware (22-17, 7-5 CAA), falling by a 3-1 decision. Recently buoyed by a surging offense -- scoring double the season average over the past four games -- Penn instead relied on five separate relievers to keep things close against the Blue Hens, containing Delaware to just five hits and two earned runs on the day.

Delaware 3, Penn 1
WP: Winston Allen (1-0)
LP: Jordan Della Valle (0-1)
SV: Matt Hornich (1)

HOW IT HAPPENED
A pitching duel between opposing bullpens developed early on, as neither offense managed to generate production throughout the first few innings. The Blue Hens struck first, knocking in one run in the fourth and another in the fifth for the 2-0 advantage. Freshman Eduardo Malinowski -- reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Week -- fought back with an RBI in the seventh, closing the gap to one as he plated senior Andrew Murnane, but an insurance run from Delaware in the eighth helped seal the win for the Blue Hens.

The major bright-spot for the Quakers came on the mound, as freshman Robby Cerulle tossed two frames with just as many hits in the first start of his young career. A few veteran arms -- senior Jordan Della Valle, sophomore Jacob Sadowitz and juniors John Alan Kendrick and Grant Guillory -- replaced the right-handed freshman, handling the final six innings of the game. Both Della Valle and Sadowtiz surrendered runs on two combined hits while Kendrick blanked Delaware in every category save one, walking two and striking out one.

NEXT UP
The Quakers continue their road trip with a three-game weekend series against Columbia, traveling to New York, N.Y. to face off with the Lions.