THIBODAUX, La. – The University of Pennsylvania baseball team dropped the opener of a two-game series with Nicholls State Tuesday night, 3-2.
QUAKER NOTEMEAL
* Freshman
Ryan Taylor hit safely for the sixth time in seven games to start his Quaker career.
* Starting at shortstop for the fifth straight game, fellow freshman
Davis Baker hit safely for the fourth time in those five starts.
* Sophomore
Tommy Delany made first collegiate appearance on the mound, striking out a batter in 1.2 innings of work
* Like classmate Delaney, sophomore
Marshall Mott made his first career appearance on the mound, throwing 1.1 scoreless innings in relief.
* The third sophomore making his first appearance of the season,
Noah Millikan set career-highs with four strikeouts over 2.2 innings.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Two batters into the game,
Jackson Appel used his speed to create a run-scoring opportunity for the Quakers, forcing a throwing error and taking second on a chopper back to the pitcher. Two batters later, Miller made it 2-0 Penn with a laser over the left field wall.
Nicholls State got one back in the bottom of the inning, but Mangene stranded the bases loaded with a strikeout to end the inning. The Colonels later squared the game at two in the third.
Both teams had numerous scoring opportunities throughout the middle innings, with each putting runners in scoring position twice between the fourth and sixth innings, but strong pitching and defense kept the score tied at two; Appel's heads-up play behind the plate and strong execution from the Penn infield helped pick-off a Colonels' runner in the bottom of the fourth, while Millikan got a pair of whiffs in the bottom of the sixth.
The 2-2 score remained through seven-and-a-half innings. With two out and the bases empty in the bottom of the eighth, a fly ball to the left-center field gap landed just out of the reach of
Cole McGonigal and
Seth Werchan, putting a runner on third. Five pitches later, a passed ball gave the Colonels their first lead of the night.
Penn did not go down quietly in the ninth. Pinch-hitter
Jarrett Pokrovsky fouled off three full-count offerings before working a two-out walk. Taylor followed and reached on an error, moving pinch-runner
Drew Rogers to second, but both were stranded to end the game.
Up Next
The teams will wrap the series tomorrow with a 7:30 ET / 6:30 CT first pitch.
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