PHILADELPHIA – Unable to capitalize on key opportunities on offense, the University of Pennsylvania baseball team fell to Columbia, 4-3, in the opening contest of a three-game series at Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium.
 
The Quakers drop to 18-15 overall with an 11-5 record in Ivy League play, now a game behind the Lions (20-16, 12-4 Ivy) in the standings. Columbia has won seven consecutive games and clinched the first berth into the Ivy League Tournament on Friday.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Penn's losing streak to Columbia in regular-season games extends to four in a row.

*Neither team recorded a hit in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. 

*Connor Chavez led the Penn offense with a 4-for-5 afternoon, recording half of the team's overall hits (8). One of his hits was a double.

*Davis Baker (2-for-4) was the only other Quaker with a multi-hit game. He drove in both runs.

*Marty Coyne was dominant and efficient in three innings of relief. He struck out five without allowing a hit or a run.

*Thomas Shurtleff (2-3) was charged with the loss after allowing two runs on two hits in 1.1 innings.
 
How It Happened
In need of a statement start to the day, Noah Millikan allowed one walk but retired the side after that to send the Penn bats up to the plate.

Chavez began the inning nicely with a double over the head of Anton Lazits in right field, but nothing got going from Baker, Jarrett Pokrovsky, and Gavin Collins.

In the second, Millikan recorded a quick out, but the Lions put three on via a walk, catcher's interference, and a single before the senior induced a 6-4-3 double play to get out of the bases-loaded jam and keep the game scoreless.

Penn took an early 1-0 lead on an RBI groundout from Baker, scoring Nick O'Brien.
  Sheets and Millikan kept both offenses out of the run column in the fourth before the Lions struck gold in the fifth.

Columbia scored twice to go up, 2-1, thanks to sacrifice fly and a double to right-center field. Coyne took over on the mound with one on and two out, retiring Palfrey.

Coyne was brilliant, tossing three innings of shutout ball, striking out five with one walk before handing the ball over to Shurtleff in the eighth.

Penn didn't manage a base hit in the bottom of the eighth, but a six-pitch walk to Baker brought up Collins with one out, reaching on an error on the first baseman while Baker came around the bases to knot the game up at 2-2.
  It looked as if the Quakers were going to have a chance to walk the game off in the bottom of the ninth after recording two outs—a 3-1 groundout and another on interference—but the Lions had other plans. Estabrook doubled when Chavez and Connor McCabe converged on the ball in shallow right field but found grass and scored Vogler to take a 3-2 lead and then Snyder doubled in another run to extend the lead to 4-2.
 
Ryan Taylor and Chavez reeled off back-to-back one-out singles to begin the ninth but only one scored on Baker's double when Taylor came home but Chavez was gunned down at home, 9-4-2 to make it two outs. Pokrovsky lined out to end the game as Columbia prevailed, 4-3.
 
Up Next
Due to expected rain on Saturday, Penn and Columbia take a day off before resuming the series on Sunday with a doubleheader beginning at 11:30 a.m. Both games 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.