PHILADELPHIA – Starting the afternoon off with a tremendous pitching performance from senior
Noah Millikan which resulted in a thrilling walk-off victory, the University of Pennsylvania baseball team settled for a doubleheader split against Yale Saturday afternoon at Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium.
The Quakers (17-13, 11-3 Ivy) saw their nine-game winning streak come to an end after falling in Game 2, while the Bulldogs improved to 21-12, 9-5. Penn remains two games ahead of Yale for first place following the first day of the series.
Quaker Notemeal
*Penn's nine-game win streak was halted by Yale, which was the third-longest win streak in the nation entering the weekend. It was the Quakers' longest since winning 10 straight in 2023.
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Jarrett Pokrovsky delivered Penn's third walk-off hit of the season and his second of 2025 with a single to cap a Game 1 victory.
*The Quakers were led by
Connor Chavez (2-for-5) and
Davis Baker (2-for-4) with multi-hit performances in the opening game.
*
Noah Millikan was stellar for the Quakers despite not recording a decision. He allowed just one run over 7.1 innings with three hits, striking out six while walking just one.
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Thomas Shurtleff (2-2) earned his second win of the campaign, but allowed two runs on two hits with two strikeouts and four walks over 2.2 frames.
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Nick Spaventa led the Quakers in Game 2 with a 3-for-5 effort.
Gavin Collins and
Nick O'Brien had two hits each.
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Josh Katz (4-3) picked up the loss despite striking out a career-high nine batters.
How It Happened (Game 1)
Yale worked a couple free passes in the top of the first, scoring on a fielder's choice to get out of the frame and taking an early 1-0 lead.
Colton Shaw held the Quakers in check in the bottom half of the inning, setting them down 1-2-3.
Millikan threw a spotless second inning to get the Penn bats up again, only managing a walk for Spaventa to maintain a scoreless game into the third.
It was another 1-2-3 inning for Millikan to begin the third, getting a lineout and then racking up back-to-back strikeouts to Sobecki and Larsen.
Penn got on the board for the first time in the bottom of the third inning after Chavez singled with two away and Baker launched a missile over the right-field fence to take a 2-1 lead.
Millikan protected the lead in the fourth by punching out the final two batters he faced, both looking. He allowed his first hit in the fifth inning, but left the runner on base to keep the Bulldogs out of the run column for a fifth consecutive frame.
The Quakers added a third run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Chavez laced a two-out double down the left field line to bring home O'Brien to make it a 3-1 game.
Millikan allowed a leadoff single in the sixth and then another to Dossa. With runners on second and third and two outs, Millikan recorded his fifth punchout of the day to retire the side.
There was nothing doing by the Penn offense in the bottom of the sixth, but Millikan got right back to work and shoved in the seventh, making a spectacular play to get the out and then striking out his sixth of the afternoon.
Penn's offense had a hit from Ahearn in the seventh, but was followed up by Millikan in the eighth who hit the first batter of the inning and was replaced by Shurtleff, who recorded the final two outs.
Shurtleff struggled with his command in the top of the ninth, giving up two runs--on a hit-by-pitch and a bases-loaded walk--on two hits to blow the save and allow Yale to tie the game up at 3-3.
Shaw came back out to pitch the ninth, surrendering a two-out single to Echevarria, but set down Degnan to send the contest to extras.
Shurtleff picked up two quick outs to begin the 10th, but walked a pair to put two runners on for pinch hitter Chaplin, who hit a sharp liner to O'Brien to end the threat.
O'Brien worked a 10-pitch walk to begin the bottom of the 10th inning, but was retired on a 1-6 fielder's choice. Singles from Baker and Chavez put two runners on base and then Pokrovsky came through in the clutch once again with a two-out walk-off single up the middle to give the Quakers a 4-3 victory.
How It Happened (Game 2)
Katz spun two scoreless innings to begin his outing, allowing just two hits in the first and none in the second.
Yale scored first on a single to right field in the third, taking a 1-0 lead. The Bulldogs managed four runs on five hits against Katz in the top of the fourth inning to surge ahead, 5-0.
The Quakers figured out Jack Ohman a bit in the bottom of the fourth inning when Collins, Echevarria, and Spaventa registered three consecutive singles, the last of which brought home a run—just the second the freshman righty has given up in 2025—to crack into the deficit, down 5-1. Penn scored an additional two runs on a passed ball and wild pitch to make it a 5-3 game.
Tommy Delany took over for Katz in the fifth, tossing a scoreless inning, but allowed two runs on three hits in the sixth, the first of which came on a homer for Dossa as Yale surged ahead 7-3.
After both teams were held without a run in the seventh, Penn added a fourth run on
Connor McCabe's sacrifice fly to center field. With an opportunity to take a late lead with the bases loaded, Pokrovsky flew out to right on the first pitch to end the rally.
Aidan von Zuben pitched a 1-2-3 top of the ninth inning to bring the Quakers' bats up again. Collins singled up the middle to begin the frame, while Spaventa's single put two runners on base with one out. Penn couldn't push across another run, failing to pull out the doubleheader sweep.
Up Next
Penn will look for another series victory on Sunday when it takes on Yale in the finale at noon from Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with live stats provided.
For the latest on Penn baseball, follow @PennBaseball on X (formerly Twitter), @Penn_Baseball on Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.
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