NEW YORK CITY - In a back-and-forth affair that featured four lead changes, the University of Pennsylvania baseball team (13-24-1, 7-10-1 Ivy) came up just short in the series finale at Columbia (16-25, 11-7 Ivy), falling to the Lions by an 8-6 mark. The loss eliminates the Quakers from the Ivy League Championship Series contention, as second-place Columbia now owns a four-game advantage over them with three games remaining in conference play.

Columbia 8, Penn 6
WP: Lucas Hall (1-0)
LP: Jacob Sadowitz (1-3)
SV: None

HOW IT HAPPENED
Penn managed to strike first in this critical game, as junior Matt McGeagh increased his Ivy-leading RBI total with a single to third base during the fourth inning. The Lions wouldn't respond until the bottom of the fifth, plating five behind three RBI hits, one Quakers error and a wild pitch. In a brilliant sixth frame, the Quakers retook their initial lead, scoring five runs to pick up a 6-5 advantage. Freshman Eduardo Malinowski got things started with an RBI single, setting up both junior Sean Phelan and and sophomore Peter Matt to send three home over the course of the next four at-bats. Senior Andrew Murnane closed out the inning with a sacrifice fly, scoring fellow senior Daniel Halevy to earn the one-run edge.

The Lions managed to tie the game at six apiece with a run in the bottom of the frame, and then knocked in the two game-winning runs in the eighth.

Penn starter Mitchell Holcomb battled through four and two-thirds innings, allowing seven hits and four earned runs before the Quakers turned to the bullpen. Both freshman Brendan Bean and sophomore Jacob Sadowitz contained Columbia on a combined two and two-thirds frames, surrendering just a pair of hits and two runs. The Quakers' closer -- sophomore Dylan Mulvihill -- wrapped up the last the two-thirds of the eighth inning, giving up two hits and one run.

NEXT UP
The Quakers are off next week due to final exams before returning to action on May 9, traveling out to Plymouth Meeting to face Villanova.