KENNESAW, Ga. – The University of Pennsylvania baseball team opened its 2020 season in style, defeating Kennesaw State, 10-7. Senior Ace Christian Scafidi earned his first win of the season while Brendan Bean earned his first collegiate save.
 
NOTES
*The Quakers won their season opener for the first time since a 13-4 walloping of Georgetown in 2010.
 
*Penn's 10 runs scored are its most on opening day since that win over Georgetown in 2010.
 
*Bean had an excellent outing out of the bullpen today. The junior tossed two frames with four strikeouts to earn the save.
 
*Scafidi continued just where he left off in 2019. In his first start of the season, he pitched six innings with two strikeouts, zero earned runs, and just four hits allowed.
 
*Chris Adams had a day on offense. The senior captain went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a home run. The dinger was just the second of his career.
 
*Reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year Josh Hood showed no signs of a sophomore slump. The shortstop went 3-for-6 with an RBI and a run scored.
 
*Eduardo Malinowski came in clutch when the Quakers needed him most. The 2018 Ivy ROTY went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI, including an RBI double in the top of the ninth to extend Penn's lead to 10-7.
 
*Craig Larsen opened the scoring with a solo homer in the top of the first. On the day he went 2-for-4 with three runs scored, one RBI, and earned a pair of walks.
 
*Jackson Petersen also went yard with a two-run shot in the third inning. He went 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run scored, and a walk.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Penn picked up right where it left off last season, with its offensive firepower evident in the first inning. With the Quakers' first hit of the season, Larsen launched a solo shot over the right-field wall for an early, 1-0 lead.
 
A Malinowski walk and Hood single set up Adams with runners on the corners. Once he got to the plate, the senior captain sliced a grounder through the left-side gap to plate Malinowski and double the Quakers' lead after the first inning.
 
Penn's bats continued to ride its power to increase the lead in the third inning. Following a leadoff single by Hood, Petersen smashed Penn's second home run of the game to make it a 4-0 game. On the following at-bat, Adams pushed a solo shot over the opposite-field wall to extend Penn's lead to 5-0.
 
Kennesaw State finally fielded a response in the bottom of the fourth. With runners on second and third and two outs, Tyler Simon singled into right field to plate a runner. Peter Matt showed off his impressive arm, firing a dart to home plate and preventing a run from scoring.
 
The Quakers punched right back in the fifth. After getting plunked in the inning's first pitch, Carboni stole second to get into scoring position. He showed some heads-up base running, getting a good jump to steal third, then advanced home after a throwing error by the catcher.
 
Penn added two more later in the inning. With runners on the corners, Malinowski plated one with a grounder through the left-side gap. On the next at-bat, Hood brought in another baserunner with a single through the left-side gap to give Penn a 9-1 lead.
 
Down eight, Kennesaw State finally fielded a response. The Owls put four runs on the board in the seventh inning, then made it 9-7 with a two-run home run in the eighth inning.
 
Bean came out of the bullpen and eventually stifled the Kennesaw State offense, fanning four in the final two innings to secure the win and the save. In the top of the ninth, Malinowski gave Penn a three-run cushion with an RBI double.
 
UP NEXT
The Quakers are back in Kennesaw tomorrow morning with game two of the series slated to start at 2 p.m.