PHILADELPHIA – The luck of the Irish was certainly with the University of Pennsylvania baseball team this St. Patrick's Day, as the Quakers exploded for nearly two dozen runs on 18 hits in a runaway 22-8 victory over Lafayette Sunday afternoon to take the series at Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium.
 
Penn used two eight-spots in the fourth and seventh innings, batting around in both frames to improve to 7-9 and pick up its first series victory of the season. The Leopards fell to 3-15 after dropping two of three games on the weekend.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*The 22 runs scored by the Quakers were the most in a contest since notching 27 runs at Yale on April 29, 2022. 20 days earlier in Cambridge, Mass. Penn also put up 27 runs on Harvard.
 
*22 are the most runs scored by Penn in a game at home since March 25, 1983 against Franklin & Marshall (28) and the most runs scored at Meiklejohn Stadium in the venue's history.
 
*It's the first time since April 17, 2010 that Penn had at least two innings of eight or more runs in a single game. The Quakers had an eight-run third and eight-run fifth inning in a 17-2 victory over Cornell at Meiklejohn Stadium.
 
*The Quakers drew 13 walks as a team, the most since totaling 14 free passes in the Ivy League Tournament title game against Princeton on May 22, 2023.
 
*Wyatt Henseler and Carson Ozmer hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning, the first time Penn hit consecutive homers since Henseler and Ben Miller on May 13, 2023 vs. Columbia.
 
*Speaking of Henseler, how about the game he had? The senior slugger was 2-for-2 with two home runs, four walks, and three RBI.
 
*Jarrett Pokrovsky had his first-career two homer game, going 3-for-5 at the plate with three runs scored and five RBIs.
 
*Ozmer was a double short of the cycle, finishing the day 3-for-4 with a single, triple, and a home run with three runs scored and an RBI.
 
*Three players—Pokrovsky, Ozmer and Asa Wilson—finished with three hits with a pair for Davis Baker, Henseler, Ryan Taylor, and Gavin Collins.
 
*Jake Moss (2-0) picked up his second win of the week, tossing 2.1 innings of one-run ball, scattering three hits with two strikeouts. Anthoni Kiafoulis, Edward Sarti and Eli Trop combined to toss two shutout innings to finish off the outing.
 
How It Happened
Lafayette started quickly, reeling off four runs against Penn starter Josh Katz in the top of the first inning to take a 4-0 lead.
 
The Quakers cut the lead in half at 4-2 in the bottom of the first, using a Connor Chavez leadoff double and two-run double to right center for Ryan Taylor.
 
Katz struck out two Leopards to begin the second inning, getting out of trouble after allowing a one-out single to Easton Brenner. Penn capitalized in the bottom of the second, as Gavin Collins scored on a Chavez sacrifice fly and Davis Baker brought in Asa Wilson on a groundout, tying the game at 4-4.
 
The Leopards found themselves back out in front, up 5-4 after an RBI double to left field with two away.
 
Penn was retired in order in the bottom of the third inning and Lafayette added another run on a single to center, leading 6-4 in the fourth.
 
That's when the Quakers had their first of two big innings on the afternoon, facing three separate pitchers in the fourth inning. Chavez walked to begin the frame, followed by a Baker double down the left-field line. Wyatt Henseler was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out, but Penn scored on an RBI groundout to make it a 6-5 contest. Jarrett Pokrovsky (three-run home run) and Carson Ozmer (solo shot) hit back-to-back jacks to put the Quakers in front, 9-6. Facing a new arm, a Collins walk, Wilson single (advancing to second on the throw) and another Chavez walk loaded the bases again with two outs. Collins and Wilson scored on back-to-back passed balls to make it 11-6. Finally, Penn executed a double steal to perfection, putting Baker on second and Chavez in to score to lead 12-6.
 
Jake Moss did his job once again in the fifth, retiring the Lafayette side to set the Quakers up nicely in the bottom half of the stanza.
 
Henseler led off the fifth with his first homer of the game, putting the Red and Blue up 13-6. After Ozmer tripled to right field, Collins' infield single brought him home to make it a 14-6 ballgame.
 
The Leopards hit back-to-back homers themselves in the sixth inning against reliever Thomas Shurtleff, now trailing 14-8.
 
Shurtleff successfully navigated the top of the seventh inning, allowing one hit and leaving two runners on base.
 
Then came the Quakers in their half of the seventh, starting the inning with four consecutive base hits. Pokrovsky singled to lead off, Ozmer singled to left center field on a full count and Collins doubled to bring home Pokrovsky, leading 15-8. A two-run double for Wilson extended the lead to 17-8 and a Baker single to left center scored Wilson to make it 18-8. With two outs, Henseler hit a two-run shot down the left field line—his second of the game and 40th of his career—to blow it open at 20-8. Taylor followed that up with a double to left center and Pokrovsky drove him home on his second big fly of the day, to take a 22-8 cushion.
 
Anthoni Kiafoulis allowed one hit and one walk in relief of Shurtleff in the eighth inning but kept the Leopards out of the run column by leaving two on base.
 
Eli Trop pitched the top of the ninth and shoved, getting Michael Mallas to pop out and record back-to-back punchouts to conclude the day.
 
Up Next
Penn faces Lafayette's archrival on Wednesday afternoon, hosting Lehigh at Tommy Lasorda Field with a 3 p.m. first pitch. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
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