Penn used a steady offensive performance and timely pitching to defeat UMBC 10–5 on Sunday afternoon at Tommy Lasorda Field.
The Retrievers struck first with two runs in the second inning, but the Quakers answered immediately. Nick Spaventa ignited the rally with a solo home run to right-center before Gavin Collins added a sacrifice fly and Jarrett Pokrovsky delivered an RBI double to give Penn a 3–2 lead.
Penn extended its advantage in the third when Ernie Echevarria lined an RBI single down the left-field line. After UMBC trimmed the deficit to one in the fourth, the Quakers broke the game open with a four-run fifth inning. Gavin Degnan doubled home Jay Secretarski before Qwynn Ahearn and Michael Powell added RBI singles. Collins followed with another run-scoring hit to push the lead to 8–3.
UMBC scored twice in the sixth, but Penn added two insurance runs in the seventh, including one on a balk and another on a UMBC fielding error.
The Quakers finished with 11 hits, with Ahearn and Powell each collecting two. Spaventa’s home run highlighted the offense, while Degnan, Pokrovsky, Echevarria, and Collins each drove in runs.
Thomas Shurtleff earned the win after allowing five runs over 5.1 innings, and Aidan von Zuben closed the game with 3.2 scoreless innings to secure the save as Penn improved to 2–7.
In other action, Saint Joseph’s paired early offense with a dominant outing from Luke Parise to defeat Bucknell 13–3 on Sunday afternoon at Smithson Field.
The Hawks (5–8) wasted little time getting on the board. Alex Kelsey was hit by a pitch to open the first inning and scored on a Blake Primrose double before Jason Janesko added an RBI single to give Saint Joseph’s a quick 2–0 lead.
Saint Joseph’s broke the game open in the third with a five-run inning. Kelsey started the rally with an infield single before Joey Pagano and Richard Beggy followed with back-to-back triples to stretch the lead. Janesko added another RBI single, and additional runs scored on a Tim Dickinson hit and a double steal that plated Ben Peterson to make it 7–0.
Primrose added to the advantage with a solo home run in the fourth, and Peterson later delivered an RBI double in the sixth to extend the margin to 9–0.
Meanwhile, Parise controlled the game on the mound. The right-hander held Bucknell hitless until two outs in the seventh and finished with seven strikeouts while allowing two runs on two hits across seven innings to earn the win.
Bucknell briefly broke through in the seventh, but the Hawks answered with four runs in the eighth, highlighted by Alex Venezia’s two-run homer and an RBI single from Beggy.
Janesko led the offense with a 4-for-5 performance that included two RBIs and two runs scored. Primrose added three hits and two RBIs, while every Saint Joseph’s starter recorded at least one hit.
The Hawks return home Wednesday to face West Chester.
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