PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania used a dominant outing from senior right-hander Cole Zaffiro to cruise to an 8-1 victory over Lafayette in Game 1 of the doubleheader before falling 6-3 in Saturday's nightcap at Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium.
 
The Quakers (6-9) extended their winning streak to three straight after the first game but had it snapped by the Leopards (3-14) to close out the afternoon.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Penn won its first two games at home for the second time in three seasons (2022).
 
*Cole Zaffiro (1-2) was outstanding on the hill in his fourth start of the season. He tossed six shutout innings, while scattering four hits with nine strikeouts and three walks. The nine Ks are the most he's registered in 2024, one off his career high from 2023 (10 vs. Yale).
 
*Six players had two or more knocks during the game including a 3-for-5 performance from Davis Baker, in which he recorded his second triple of the year.
 
*Freshman Nick Spaventa increased his hitting streak to a team-best six consecutive games after going 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs.
 
*Qwynn Ahearn went 2-for-3 with two walks and two RBIs.
 
*In Game 2, Spaventa extended his hitting streak to seven games in a row after going 1-for-4 with a walk.
 
*Baker went 2-for-5 with an RBI double, while Taylor was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
 
*Ryan Dromboski (0-3) was charged with the loss, allowing four runs on six hits with four strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work. John Cerwinski had it working on Saturday, striking out seven hitters over three innings, giving up just one run on a single hit.
 
How It Happened (Game 1)
Penn had its way with Lafayette starter Joe Skapinetz to begin the day, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning by way of Wyatt Henseler's single through the left side and an RBI knock from Nick Spaventa, taking an early 2-0 lead.
 
The Quakers added two more runs in the third on Spaventa's RBI single to left, followed by an RBI groundout off the bat of Cole McGonigal to double the lead, up 4-0.
 
Zaffiro successfully navigated through danger in the top of the fourth inning, leaving two baserunners on while striking out a pair, and did the same in the fifth and sixth frames, retiring all six batters he faced, featuring three Ks.
 
With Carson Ozmer replacing Zaffiro to begin the seventh inning, Lafayette scored its first run of the contest off an error by Davis Baker, cutting into Penn's 4-1 lead.
 
But that didn't faze the Red and Blue, scoring four runs on three hits in the bottom of the seventh, blowing it open at 8-1. Of the scoring plays, only one was via a base hit (Qwynn Ahearn's two-run single), the other two were a hit by pitch and a bases-loaded walk to Connor Chavez.
 
Ozmer retired the side in the eighth and ninth innings to record his first save of the year.
 
How It Happened (Game 2)
It was a rough start to the day for junior righty Ryan Dromboski, allowing a solo home run to Lafayette's Blaze Fadio in the top of the second inning and then an RBI single in the third, already trailing 2-0.
 
He settled in nicely during the fourth and fifth innings, retiring six consecutive Leopards but ended up loading the bases to begin the sixth as Will Tobin came into the game in relief. Lafayette scored three more runs on a groundout and a two-run single to pull ahead, 5-0.
 
John Cerwinski pitched a great seventh inning, striking out a pair before working out of trouble in the eighth, giving up just one run on one hit as the Leopards took a 6-0 lead.
 
The Quakers got on the board in the eighth inning on Ryan Taylor's RBI single to right center field, scoring Henseler and making it a 6-1 ballgame.
 
Cerwinski struck out the side in order in the top of the ninth inning, setting up a comeback scenario for Penn in the bottom of the frame.
 
Asa Wilson led off the ninth with a 3-1 single up the middle, while Gavin Collins was hit by pitch to put runners on first and second with none away. With one out, Davis Baker doubled to right center to score Wilson, with Henseler grounding out to the shortstop to bring home Collins, cutting the Lafayette advantage in half at 6-3. Spaventa recorded the final out on a 4-3 putout to end the threat.
 
Up Next
Penn closes out the weekend Sunday with Lafayette at noon, searching for its first series victory of the 2024 campaign. The contest will be streamed live on ESPN+ with live stats provided.
 
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