You want wild? You want weird? You want a baseball game that had everything but a bullpen cart running out of gas in the middle of the field? Saint Joseph’s and Penn put on a Liberty Bell Classic quarterfinal for the ages on Tuesday at Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium. And when the dust settled, after an eight-run deficit, a three-HBP performance, and an ending called by darkness, it was the Hawks who pulled off a 14-10 stunner.
Trailing 8-2. Then 10-4. Saint Joseph’s (9-14) could have called it a day. But instead, they put together two innings of chaos, scoring four in the seventh and six in the eighth to shock the Quakers (8-10) and punch their ticket to the semifinals.
So how did this happen?
Well, it all started the way most great comebacks do—with a slow burn. Carson Applegate got things rolling early with a two-run homer in the first, putting Saint Joe’s up 2-0. But that lead? It disappeared faster than a bag of soft pretzels at a Phillies tailgate.
Penn answered in the third with a grand slam from Ryan Taylor, part of an eight-run explosion that saw 12 Quakers step to the plate. They piled on two more in the fourth, stretching the lead to 10-4 and leaving Saint Joe’s looking for answers.
And then? The rally.
The Hawks chipped away in the seventh, taking advantage of an error, two walks, and a hit batsman. Colin Myers came through with a two-run single to cut the deficit to 10-8.
Then came the eighth—an inning that felt like it might never end. Saint Joe’s batted around again, tying the game on a bases-loaded walk and a hit-by-pitch. Another walk put them ahead before a sac fly and a two-run single from Owen Petrich blew it open at 14-10.
Penn tried to muster a response, putting two on in the bottom of the eighth, but Luke Parise shut the door with a fielder’s choice and a strikeout. And then, before anyone could get too comfortable, the umpires called it due to darkness. Because of course they did.
Behind the Box Score:
Penn, meanwhile, will need a few days to process this one. Because, let’s be honest, how do you even explain it? The Quakers will face Dartmouth this weekend.
- Record books, meet Joey Gale. The sophomore outfielder got plunked three times, tying the program’s single-game record.
- Colin Myers was the guy. Three hits. Five RBIs. Just another day at the office.
- Jackson Campbell gets the win. And how about this? His seventh inning was the only 1-2-3 frame of the game.
- Saint Joseph's walked 11 times. Penn pitchers, on the other hand, hit four batters. That’s 15 free passes!
Penn, meanwhile, will need a few days to process this one. Because, let’s be honest, how do you even explain it? The Quakers will face Dartmouth this weekend.
