It didn't end the way they hoped, but the perseverance Penn showcased throughout the season was evident again in Saturday's game against St. John's in the NCAA Regional elimination bracket in Charlottesville.
Despite their efforts, Penn's season ended in heartbreak when Anthony Brienza's two-out single to center field allowed Luke Orbon to score the winning run for St. John's in the 12th inning, resulting in a 10-9 defeat that eliminated the Quakers.
Ryan Dromboski struggled early for Penn, with the Red Storm scoring five runs on five hits over 4 1/3 innings.
Facing a daunting four-run deficit, the Quakers showcased their trademark tenacity by rallying to score seven runs in the seventh inning, taking a 9-6 lead.
Trailing 5-1 in the sixth, Asa Wilson pushed across a run with a sacrifice fly. The Quakers then erupted in the seventh, highlighted by Wilson's two-run single and Baker Davis's two-run double down the left field line.
St. John's relied on the long ball to even the score, with Jackson Tucker hitting a two-run blast in the eighth and Jimmy Keenan hitting a solo shot in the ninth to tie the game.
In the 12th inning, Orbon worked a two-out walk off Will Tobin, stole second, and scored on Brienza's single for the walk-off victory.
Penn collected 16 hits in the loss.
The loss dropped the Quakers to a 24-25 overall record. While their ultimate goal was to reach the College World Series, the journey they undertook and the resilience they displayed remain the true story.
The Red Storm nearly ended the contest in the 10th inning when Garrett Scavelli hit a sharp grounder to Henseler at third base. Henseler managed to knock the ball down, deflecting it toward second base. In a heads-up play, second baseman Connor Chavez sprinted across the infield and fired a strike to Wilson at the plate, resulting in a bang-bang play that saw Wilson tag out Tucker, who was attempting to score from second.
Henseler, the Philadelphia Baseball Review Division I Offensive Player of the Year, finished 1-for-5 with a pair of walks and an RBI. His career at Penn concludes as he transfers to Texas A&M for his graduate season next year.
