On the road against Columbia, Penn didn’t just win a series — it imposed itself. Back-to-back victories, 9-5 and 9-8, pushed the Quakers to 10-15 overall and 5-4 in Ivy League play, a mark that suddenly carries weight after a stretch where consistency had been elusive.
The formula wasn’t complicated. It was execution — and, at times, dominance.
Game 1 belonged to pitching and patience. After falling behind 5-2 early, Penn didn’t flinch. Gavin Degnan’s solo homer steadied things, and by the fifth inning, Nick Spaventa delivered the swing that reset the game — a two-run shot that erased the deficit and flipped momentum.
From there, the game turned over to Marty Coyne, who didn’t just quiet Columbia — he erased them. Entering in the third inning, Coyne authored one of the most commanding relief outings you’ll see at this level: 6.1 hitless innings, no walks, four strikeouts, and complete control of tempo. He retired 19 of the final 20 batters he faced, turning a vulnerable game into a platform for a late surge.
That surge came in the eighth.
With traffic building, sophomore Michael Powell stepped into a moment that defines series wins. On a 1-2 count, he drove a two-run double off the wall in right, giving Penn the lead for good. The lineup kept moving from there, piling on insurance runs and closing out a game that had once slipped away.
Game 2 followed a similar script — early trouble, followed by a response that felt decisive.
Columbia jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Penn answered with its most explosive inning of the weekend. A six-run third flipped the entire game, punctuated by Gavin Collins’ grand slam to center. Just like that, the Quakers were in control again.
Spaventa wasn’t finished, either. His fourth-inning home run — his third of the series — extended the lead and underscored a weekend where he consistently changed games with one swing.
Columbia made its push, tying the game in the sixth, but Penn had another answer.
In the seventh, after loading the bases, Ryan Taylor delivered the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice — not flashy, but effective. The kind of play that wins series in April.
And then it was over to Thomas Shurtleff.
The senior co-captain handled the final innings with authority, working 6.2 frames in relief, striking out four, walking just one, and finishing off Columbia with back-to-back clean innings. It wasn’t just a win — it was a stabilizing performance from a veteran arm.
Across the two games, the offensive production was relentless. Penn pounded out 15 hits in Game 1 and followed with another balanced attack in Game 2, with contributions up and down the lineup. Pokrovsky, Degnan, Collins, and Warner all played key roles, while Spaventa’s power surge gave the lineup a centerpiece.
More importantly, the Quakers showed something that hadn’t always been there this season — response.
They answered deficits. They controlled innings late. They leaned on pitching when they needed it most.
That’s how series are won. And sometimes, that’s how seasons turn.
Penn now returns home with momentum — and, maybe for the first time this spring, a clear sense of identity.
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