MIAMI – Behind a world-class performance from reigning Ivy League Pitcher of the Year, Christian Scafidi, the University of Pennsylvania baseball team won its series-opener against FIU, 4-1.
 
The senior hurler tossed a complete game and held the Panthers to just one unearned run, making way for the Quakers' bats to do damage. The win made Penn an even 2-2 on the season, both wins coming with Scafidi on the mound.
 
NOTES
*With scouts in the stands, Scafidi showed what he's capable of in a career performance. The senior pitched a complete game with 11 strikeouts, zero walks, zero earned runs allowed, and one run on just five hits.
 
*The Quakers' bats tallied 12 hits on the evening, with five players contributing multiple hits. Josh Hood, Eduardo Malinowski, and Peter Matt each went 2-for-5 while Justin Carboni and Craig Larsen each went 2-for-4.
 
*Both of Hood's hits were good for extra bases as the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year knocked a pair of doubles.
 
*Penn's four runs were driven in by four different batters. Carboni, Hood, Malinowski, and Jackson Petersen all chipped in an RBI.
 
*Despite taking the win, Penn left 11 runners on base and ended two innings with the bags loaded.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
With two of the most impressive pitchers in mid-major baseball headlining the bill for today's series-opener, it was no surprise that the first four innings flew by. Both teams combined for just three hits through the first four innings, while just three batters took the plate in seven of the eight half-innings.
 
The game started to open in the fifth. Following a leadoff single for Larsen, Penn loaded the bases with an infield error, fielder's choice, and batter hit by pitch. With Hernandez on third, Carboni brought him home with an RBI single which split the right-side gap.
 
FIU threatened to respond in the bottom of the frame, with a runner reaching second on a leadoff single and a balk. Scafidi stymied the threat with a pair of strikeouts and a forced pop-up to end the inning.
 
In the top of the sixth, the Quakers continued to threaten. Leadoff singles from Hood and Malinowski set up the threat before Larsen laid down a suicide squeeze and reached base on an error. Petersen earned a battle scar, taking a plunk to the back but batting Hood in on the HBP in the process to extend Penn's lead to 2-0.
 
Penn continued the scoring trend in the top of the seventh, but this time did not have to load the bases in order to do so. Matt reached base on a single then scored after Hood doubled down the left field line. Malinowski plated Hood on the next at-bat with a single to right field, extending the Quakers' lead to 4-0.
 
The Panthers would finally get on the board in the bottom of the eighth, albeit an unearned run. Scafidi fanned the first two batters in the inning before an infield error put a runner on third. A stolen base and poor throw from Petersen placed that runner on third, then a single up the middle plated him to make it 4-1.
 
It would be as close as the hosts would get, as Scafidi forced FIU to go three up, three down in the bottom of the ninth—his third 1-2-3 inning of the game.
 
UP NEXT
The Quakers will continue their series against FIU tomorrow with a doubleheader. The first game is slated to start at 2 p.m. with game two to follow 45 minutes after the conclusion of game one.