Baseball | Quakers save the best for last

Tom Grandieri was determined to begin the 2009 season on a high note both individually and for his team. This weekend, the junior outfielder and pitcher succeeded in both respects.

Saturday, the Quakers hosted Georgetown in a doubleheader at Meiklejohn Stadium. Penn lost the first game, 14-3, but then defeated the Hoyas in a thrilling ninth inning comeback, 7-6, in the nightcap.

Grandieri's only mistake this weekend was a big one: He let up a three-run home run in the top of the ninth in the second game to put Georgetown up, 6-5.

"Everyone still had high spirits though, and we were able to put together a great team win," Grandieri said.

The Media, Pa., native was impressive otherwise - Grandieri went 3-for-7 with two home runs and four runs batted in on the day.

The Quakers' struggle in the first game was partly due to defensive woes. Penn (1-1) made six errors in the game, while Georgetown (2-4) committed none.

"The lack of being on the field showed up more than I thought it would," coach John Cole said of the season opener. "We really didn't do too much correctly in the first game."

In addition, Penn's ace, Todd Roth, who is on the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List for college baseball's Player of the Year, struggled in the first game. He gave up four earned runs (eight total) in just three innings of work.

"That was atypical Todd Roth," Cole said. "I expect him to come back with a real good one next time out."

The second game was a much different story for the Quakers. Penn scored five runs in the first two innings and led the entire game until Georgetown's Sean Lamont homered off Grandieri to give the Hoyas a one-run lead.

But in the bottom of the ninth, the Quakers put together an excellent two-out rally. First, sophomore Adrian Thomas drove in the tying run on a single to left field.

Then junior Steve Gable stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. Penn's co-captain second baseman battled with Georgetown closer Will Harris, fouling off pitch after pitch to keep the at-bat alive. His perseverance paid off, as Harris threw a breaking ball into the dirt and allowed pinch runner Matt Tellem to score the winning run.

"Adrian Thomas' and Steven Gable's at-bats in the ninth inning showed the kind of toughness I'm looking for in this program," Cole said. "I was really proud of those two guys. You never know until the pressure hits how they're going to perform."

The Quakers got strong pitching performances from junior Robbie Seymour and sophomore Paul Cusick in the second game. Seymour only gave up one earned run and two hits in 4.1 innings of work while Cusick surrendered just two earned runs in four innings.

"We had a real gutsy performance in the second game," Grandieri said. "We took the first pitch and kept rolling."

Team chemistry, the Quakers say, might have been the intangible in the comeback.

"Things are different this year; everyone is picking each other up," Grandieri said. "What happened in the ninth inning of the second game is hopefully an indication of the season to come."