University of Pennsylvania Athletics

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The second-seeded University of Pennsylvania baseball team took on fourth-seeded Columbia in the first elimination game of the Ivy League Tournament on Saturday afternoon at George H.W. Bush '48 Field, but the Lions held on to claim a 6-3 victory despite a late push from the Quakers.
Saturday's defeat concluded the Red and Blue's season, as they finished with a 20-22 overall record and a 14-7 mark in Ivy League play.

Quaker Notemeal
*Upperclassmen Jarrett Pokrovsky (2-for-5) and Gavin Degnan (2-for-4) were Penn's standouts on offense, registering two hits apiece.

*Nick Spaventa, Nick O'Brien, and Pokrovsky were responsible for driving in the Quakers' three runs in the first, second, and seventh innings.

*Jack Warner, Ernie Echevarria, and Ryan Taylor each tallied a base knock in the defeat.

*Penn used four arms throughout the outing with freshman southpaw Ben Moulin earning the start on the bump.

*Sophomore Aidan von Zuben's 3.0 innings tossed led the pitching staff, while him and junior Josh Katz both collected two strikeouts.

How It Happened
W. Joseph Blood Head Coach John Yurkow's group jumped out to an early lead to get the matchup rolling. Taylor and Pokrovsky both grounded out in their first trips to the plate, but Degnan was due up next and refused to let his 11-game hitting streak come to an end. The Lakehurst, N.J. native doubled to left center to get the offense's wheels turning and Spaventa followed up with a double of his own to give Penn a 1-0 lead.
 
The Quakers' narrow lead didn't last for long as the Lions snatched their first advantage of the afternoon on three hits. Jack Kail and Cole Fellows both reached base after drawing walks and Kail was sent home when Owen Estabrook singled to left center. The scoring continued during Columbia's next at-bat as Jackson Brewer slapped a single to left field that allowed Fellows to stroll across home plate. Jimmy Chadwell proceeded to make it three hits in a row, but Hunter Snyder grounded into a double play at second base to conclude an eventful first inning.
 
Warner restored Penn's momentum with a leadoff double to get the second inning started. A wild pitch from Alex Sotiropoulos advanced the freshman into scoring position before O'Brien's liner to center field sent Warner home to knot the ballgame at two runs apiece.

Columbia's offense responded with three runs in the bottom half of the frame fueled by RBIs from Anthony Temesvary (1) and Fellows (2).  

Sotiropoulos and von Zuben began to battle back-and-forth as the third frame got underway. Both pitchers allowed two hits, but they recovered well to leave two runners stranded. The pitching duel carried on throughout the fourth and fifth innings as the pairing completely stifled the contest's offensive rhythm.

Each side traded a run in the sixth and seventh innings. Following a trio of walks, Temesvary was 90 feet from home plate before he was signaled to make a dash for home after a wild pitch from the Quakers.

Columbia's four-run lead was quickly reduced back to three (6-3) in the top of the seventh frame. With one out, Taylor ripped a single to right field and stole second a few pitches later to put some additional pressure on Sotiropoulos. Pokrovsky was due up next and his double to left center allowed his fellow classmate to score comfortably.

Closer Will Harrigan slammed the door on the afternoon by not surrendering a hit in the final two innings to advance Columbia to Sunday's slate of games in New Haven.

For the latest on Penn baseball, follow @PennBaseball on X (formerly Twitter), @Penn_Baseball on Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.