MACON, Ga. - The University of Pennsylvania baseball team returned to OrthoGeorgia Park on Saturday, but Mercer came out on top, 5-3, in the second game of a three-game series. The Bears' three-run fifth inning powered them to their 10^th win of the season.

Quaker Notemeal
*Junior catcher Qwynn Ahearn had a big day at the plate for Penn (2-for-3), including a two-run home run in the fourth inning to give the visitors their only lead of the day.
 
*Jay Secretarski extended his hitting streak to five straight games on Saturday with a leadoff single to left field in the first inning.
 
*Junior first baseman Nick Spaventa went perfect (2-for-2) at the dish in game two, finishing the day with a single, double and two walks.

*Freshmen pitchers Nick Newburn and Ben Moulin saw time on the mound in Saturday's contest, and the pair did not allow a run over 3.2 innings of work.

*Connor McCabe and Jarrett Pokrovsky also registered hits for the Quakers.

How It Happened
Mercer started Miguel Hugas on the bump on Saturday, and he finished his outing with four strikeouts and allowed seven hits. Secretarski got the visitors off to a nice start with a leadoff single to left field, but Hugas responded by sending Davis Baker, Michael Powell and Pokrovsky back to the dugout.
 
Reigning Ivy League Co-Pitcher of the Week Marty Coyne got the starting nod for Penn and he kept the hosts scoreless through the first stanza.

Coyne and Hugas dominated the second and third innings, but the fourth saw each side drive in two runs. The Bears took care of Penn's first two batters; however, McCabe reached first on a walk with two outs. Ahearn was next up at the dish, and while facing a 0-2 count, the Woodbine, Md., native launched a home run to right-center field that drove in two runs for the Red and Blue.

Now trailing by two runs, Mercer went back to work at the plate. Coyne struck out Dylan LaPointe to begin the frame, and Kaleb Huffman followed up with a groundout to the pitcher. The hosts got on base thanks to a single by Devyn McEachron, bringing Nathan Rowland up next. The center fielder swung on the first pitch he saw, sending a deep shot to left field to knot the game at two apiece.

Spaventa recorded his third double of the year in the top of the fifth inning, but Hugas took care of Secretarski, Baker and Powell to keep Penn off the board.

The Bears' bats heated up during the bottom of the fifth. Chris Katz and Brant Baughcum began the stanza with a pair of base hits, and Braydon Kersey followed with a single to right center to load the bases for Mercer. Katz made his way across home plate thanks to Titan Kamaka's SAC-fly to center field, and then the Quakers relieved Coyne on the mound with freshman right-hander Newburn.

The rookie sat down LaPointe but couldn't get out of the inning when Huffman knocked a two-RBI single to left center, sending Baughcum and Kersey home. The frame ended when Ahearn and Baker caught Huffman stealing second base.

Penn outscored Mercer, 1-0, in the sixth inning to make it a two-run contest (5-3). Pokrovsky got the bats going with a leadoff single to right field, but then Gavin Degnan grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. McCabe kept the visitors' bats alive with a double to left field, and later scored when Ahearn tallied his third RBI of the day with a single to right center.

Newburn allowed a single in the bottom of the sixth, but retired McEachron, Logan Shepherd and Katz to send the action to the seventh.

Between both squads, only one hit was recorded in the seventh and eighth innings.

Heading into the ninth frame, Mercer reliever Collin Ewaldsen took over on the hill. He was later credited with the save, after sending Penn's lineup packing in 1-2-3 order to conclude the game.

Up Next
The Quakers are back in action at 1 p.m. on Sunday for the final matchup of the series against Mercer. Fans of the QuakeShow can keep up with the action by following live stats.
 
For the latest on Penn baseball, follow @PennBaseball on X (formerly Twitter), @Penn_Baseball on Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.