TROY, Ala. – The University of Pennsylvania baseball team took an early lead off a first-pitch home run off the bat of Connor Chavez, but that's all Penn would get in an 11-1 defeat to No. 21 Troy in seven innings Friday evening at Riddle-Pace Field.
 
The Quakers fall to 0-4 to begin the season while the nationally-ranked Trojans improve to 9-1 after winning their sixth straight game.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Chavez's homer was the fourth of his career. The senior hit three in his first season wearing the Red and Blue in 2024.
 
*Nick Spaventa was the only Quaker with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 at the plate.
 
*Ryan Taylor extended his hitting streak to five straight games dating back to last season. He has a hit in all four games this year after going 1-for-2 on Friday.
 
*Friday starter Josh Katz (0-2) was charged with his second straight loss after allowing six runs on seven hits in three innings of work.
 
*Noah Millikan struggled out of the bullpen, giving up five runs on five hits with four walks over 3.1 frames. He did strike out five Trojans.
 
How It Happened
Penn began the day on a high note as Chavez launched one on the very first pitch he saw to give the Quakers a quick 1-0 lead.
 
But from there, it was all Trojans, as they scored six runs over the next three innings against Katz to lead 6-1 after three.
 
The Quakers tallied two hits in the fourth—one from Spaventa and the other a double for Gavin Degnan—but left three runners on base to keep it a five-run deficit.
 
Troy scored two more runs off two hits in the sixth to surge ahead, 8-1, before an RBI single and a two-run single in the seventh forced a run rule as the Trojans took care of business in an 11-1 victory.
 
Up Next
Penn and Troy continue its series on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
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