Despite series win, cracks show in Penn baseball's 12-3 loss to Yale

Over the weekend, Penn baseball went on the road to face off with Yale, defeating the Bulldogs 2-1 in a three-game series. After a lopsided loss in the third game, the Red and Blue (13-14, 5-4 Ivy) left New Haven with a series win in hand, but much to improve on looking ahead to the rest of the Ancient Eight season.

“Every series we go into, our goal is always to win the series consistently.  We won the series [against Yale]; it is a little disappointing the way it ended," coach John Yurkow said. "Obviously, we didn't play very well today. I'm hoping we can expand upon what we did today and get a little bit more consistent with everything"

In that third game, the Quakers got off to a great start with a few singles and a stolen base from sophomore outfielder Ryan Taylor. However, a costly mistake of trying to steal a base led to an out. Defensively, senior right-handed pitcher Danny Heintz, in his first appearance on the mound since February 2023, kept the Bulldogs (8-16, 4-5 Ivy) scoreless and struck out the first batter he faced.

“Danny [Heintz] was on a short pitch count," Yurkow said. "He had Tommy John surgery last year. And this was the first opportunity that we had, where we felt like we wanted to get him in the game. So we decided to use him as an opener. He did great. Good to see him back out.”

In the top of the second, sophomore utility player Jarrett Pokrovsky hit a single, followed by senior infielder/right-handed pitcher Carson Ozmer's walk. Yale pitcher Colton Shaw struggled, loading the bases with a walk of junior catcher Asa Wilson The following three hits by junior infielder Alex Gabauer, Taylor, and sophomore infielder Davis Baker led to three consecutive runs, putting the Red and Blue up 3-0.

But from there, Penn's momentum screeched to a halt. The Quakers were held scoreless in the third and allowed a spree of runs from the Bulldogs, turning a 3-0 lead into a 4-3 hole.

This disaster carried into the fourth, where the Quakers ended yet another scoreless inning through a double play. Defensively, Penn allowed multiple Bulldogs into scoring position, including a steal of third that led to a run. Then, Yale punctuated its run with two more runs, moving ahead 7-3 and beginning an onslaught that would continue throughout the rest of the game.

Penn never again regained its footing, ultimately falling 12-3 and ending the weekend on a sour note. Despite taking the series, allowing 12 unanswered runs is a sign of the significant improvement the Quakers must still make if they hope to defend their Ivy League title.

"Things [like] freebies on the mound, the walks that hit by pitches. That is the big thing, and to stay consistent offensively for nine innings," Yurkow said. "These are the things that I am looking forward to going into this week.”