Brown's two-balk collapse spoils Penn's otherwise perfect weekend

For fifteen and a half innings, Penn's doubleheader at Georgetown went exactly as baseball coach John Cole scripted.

The Quakers won the seven-inning opener 8-0 behind the arm of freshman stud Todd Roth, and, up 2-1 in the ninth inning of game two, Cole signaled for ace reliever Doug Brown.

But for the second time this season, the Penn stopper failed to close out the game.

Brown walked the Hoyas' leadoff hitter, centerfielder Mark McLaughlin. During the next at-bat, Brown committed the first of two balks in the inning for not coming to a complete stop in his stretch delivery. McLaughlin advanced to second, and then to third on a sacrifice bunt. Shortstop Matthew Bouchard's single into center tied the game at two.

Penn managed no hits over the next two frames, and in the 11th, the duo haunted Brown again.

With one out, McLaughlin doubled down the rightfield line, and a single left runners on the corners for Bouchard. He pushed a successful safety squeeze down the first base line, scoring McLaughlin for a 3-2 Hoya win.

"It was a good breaking ball," Cole said. "They got just enough of the bunt down to win the ball game."

The Hoyas (8-11) sent the Quakers (5-6) back north with a split and a record still one game below .500.

"Unfortunately, it could've been a heck of a day," Cole said. "And it decided to be an okay day."

Jarron Smith drove home Penn's only two runs with a double in the fourth, and freshman Jim Birmingham battled for seven innings, his longest outing.

Birmingham allowed just one run on five hits, striking out four. But he also walked seven, creating jams he had to escape.

Cole said there was a "very tight [strike] zone today on the road."

"I thought he had some pretty good pitches taken away from him, . but he made some big pitches when he had to."

Game one was all about another freshman hurler. Roth pitched the Quakers' first complete game shutout of the season, allowing just eight baserunners over his seven innings while earning his first career victory. Roth has been the staff anchor thus far, striking out 18 and allowing four earned runs over 19.1 innings, for an earned run average of 1.86.

"His game is sinker balls, put the ball in play, throw strikes, and don't walk people, and he did that to perfection," Cole said.

The Red and Blue notched eight runs despite only one extra-base hit. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third on a walk, hit-by pitch, three singles and a sacrifice fly. That lead was extended to seven one inning later, on two errors, two more singles, the lone double, and another sac fly.

Cole was pleased with his team's execution in the first contest of the twin bill.

"We played the first complete game offensively, defensively, and pitching all year," he said.

No date has been announced for Saturday's doubleheader that was postponed due to inclement weather.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.