PRINCETON, N.J. – Coming into the day needing a victory to clinch the series, the University of Pennsylvania baseball team fell 3-1 at Princeton Sunday afternoon at Clarke Field.
 
The Quakers (15-20, 7-8 Ivy) fall into fourth place with the loss while the Tigers (12-21, 8-7 Ivy) rise into third place.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Davis Baker, Nick Spaventa, Connor Chavez, and Asa Wilson combined for all four of the Quakers' base hits.

*Wilson went 1-for-2 at the plate with Penn's lone RBI.

*Josh Katz (2-3) was charged with the loss after allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits over 2.1 innings.

*Thomas Shurtleff pitched brilliantly, tossing 4.2 shutout innings, scattering three hits with three strikeouts.
 
How It Happened
Davis Baker registered the Quakers' first hit of the day, a double bounced on the dirt and past the head of the Princeton shortstop.
 
Solid defense and quick pitching from Josh Katz in the bottom of the first shut down the Tigers, 1-2-3.
 
Katz pitched another strong inning in the second, hitting the first batter but getting the next three on a groundout, flyout and an unassisted groundout to Katz to retire the side.
 
The Quakers left a runner on during the third inning by way of a one-out walk to Asa Wilson, while the Tigers took the game's first lead in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single—the first hit against Katz—up the middle. Princeton scored two more runs against Katz, the second on an RBI double to the left field wall and the third on a fielder's choice, the run scoring on a fielding error.
 
Thomas Shurtleff came into the game in relief of Katz, striking out a pair to end the frame, as the Tigers headed into the fourth inning with a 3-0 lead.
 
Jarrett Pokrovsky got on base during the fourth with a hit by pitch, but was quickly erased on a tailor made 6-4-3 double play to conclude the inning.
 
Shurtleff recorded his third strikeout of the game to lead off the fourth inning, but allowed two runners on in back-to-back at bats. A sacrifice bunt got runners over to second and third with two outs and Connor Chavez got the final batter to groundout to retire the side.
 
Penn's offense managed just one hit in the fifth, while Shurtleff surrendered a lead off single, which was negated on a 5-4-3 double play to head to the sixth trailing 3-0.
 
After the Quakers couldn't figure out Jacob Faulkner again in the sixth, Shurtleff pitched another strong inning in the bottom of the inning, giving up just one hit.
 
Penn loaded the bases without a hit in the top of the seventh inning and scored its first run of the day on an RBI bloop single to right field for Asa Wilson with the Tigers ahead, 3-1.
 
Princeton drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the seventh inning, but the Quakers defense promptly ousted the Tigers with another inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.
 
Taylor grounded out to start the eighth inning and Henseler was hit by a pitch, later retired on a Baker fielder's choice, with Pokrovsky called out on strikes to close the frame.
 
Despite allowing a two-out single in the bottom of the eighth, John Cerwinski punched out the final hitter to send the Quakers to the ninth down by two runs.
 
Both Carson Ozmer and Calvin Brown struck out to begin the ninth, but Nick Spaventa kept Penn alive with a single to center field. Andrew Ruggeri—pinch running for Spaventa—was tossed out at second on a fielder's choice to solidify the Tigers' 3-1 victory.
 
Up Next
The Quakers get some time off this week before heading to Beantown to take on Harvard next weekend.
 
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