USM advances to the Super Regionals

Story from Penn Athletics
AUBURN, Ala. – In a back-and-forth slugfest with a trip to Super Regional weekend at stake, Southern Miss scored three times in the bottom of the eighth inning to take down the University of Pennsylvania baseball team, 11-7, at Plainsman Park.

The Quakers’ season comes to an end with an overall record of 34-16, the most wins in a single season in program history.

Quaker Notemeal
* The loss marks the first time since March 26-28 (Harvard and Lafayette) that Penn dropped back-to-back games.

* Wyatt Henseler extended his hitting streak to 15 games, finishing 2-for-5.

* The Quakers scored first for the eighth straight game.

* The bottom half of Penn’s lineup—Davis Baker, Jarrett Pokrovsky, Ryan Taylor, Seth Werchan and Calvin Brown—all notched at least one hit, finishing a combined 7-for-21 with 5 runs scored and 5 RBI.

* Brian Zeldin started for Penn and went 3.1 innings, allowing just one run on two hits.

* Ivy League Pitcher of the Year Ryan Dromboski came in to pitch on two days’ rest, surrendering three earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts and was charged with the loss.

* Carson Ozmer made his single-season record 25th appearance of the year, throwing 50 pitches over two innings of relief, allowing three runs (none earned) on two hits.

How It Happened
After both teams went scoreless in the first, in the second, the bottom of the Penn order went to work against Hall. With two out and the bases empty, Pokrovsky reached on an error and advanced to second on a single to left by Taylor. Next up stepped Werchan, who lined a single through the hole into right field, scoring Pokrovsky. Brown doubled the lead with a bouncer back through the box, plating Taylor.

Southern Miss got a run back in the bottom of the inning, but stranded runners on the corners. In the bottom of the third, Penn’s infield defense was on full display, as Taylor started the frame ranging to the third base side of second for ground ball for the first out, and Palis followed suit with the next batter, smothering a hard-hit grounder right up the middle.

Penn got the merry-go-round up and running in the fourth, as the freshmen trio of Baker, Pokrovsky, and Taylor started the inning with three straight doubles, putting Penn up 4-1. Brown tacked on the third run of the inning with a single to left.

The Golden Eagles put the first seven batters of the inning on in the fourth, knotting the game at five, but could not push the go-ahead run across with the bases loaded and nobody out.

After a scoreless fifth and top of sixth, Southern Miss jumped in front 8-5 on a Dustin Dickerson three-run homer.

Penn chipped away in the seventh. Palis led off with a base hit, and advanced to second on Henseler’s second hit of the day. After Miller singled in Palis, Baker reached on a throwing error by first baseman Christopher Sargent. The Quakers were a base hit from tying or taking the lead after a passed ball moved Miller and Baker into scoring position, but back-to-back strikeouts kept the Golden Eagles in front, 8-7.

Southern Miss tacked on three runs two hits in the eighth to take an 11-7 lead. Golden Eagles closer Will Armistead retired the first two Quakers in the ninth before Miller singled to center field. Baker struck out looking to end the ballgame and the season.

Monday’s action concluded the 2023 season for the Penn baseball team, finishing with a 34-16 overall record and both the Ivy League regular season and tournament titles.