In the deciding match of the losers bracket, the Quakers lost to the Bulldogs 7-2, dashing their hopes for a three-peat of the Ivy League Championship.
Yale (31-13) has had a standout 2025 season with 30 wins in regular season play, the third highest in their program history. In Penn’s (21-20) previous matchup against the Bulldogs over Easter weekend, an 8-4 defeat was marked by the Bulldogs’ starting pitcher effectively freezing the Quaker offense. This afternoon was no different, with the Bulldogs allowing only four hits.
“We were rolling pretty good, and I just felt like we got to a point where our offense got really inconsistent the last three or four weeks. We just really never dug out of [the hole] we were in offensively,” coach John Yurkow said.
The loss marks the first time in Ivy League tournament history that the Quakers will not be the victors.
Despite sophomore right-handed pitcher Josh Katz starting for Penn, Yale had strong momentum in the first two innings. Yale utility player Garrett Larsen, a leader in Ivy League steals, caught the Quakers snoozing early by scoring on a stolen base and a wild pitch in the first inning, with another scoring run shortly after by infielder Jake Williams.
Shortly after, the Quakers came face-to-face with pitcher Colton Shaw. In Penn’s previous matchup against Yale, Shaw pitched a complete game. Shaw continued to be a formidable opponent for the Quakers by forcing three groundouts, while Katz’s pitching faltered. After a walk and a single early in the second inning, Yale had two runners on base. A shortstop error gave the Bulldogs three runs, putting the Quakers down 0-5 heading into the third inning.
“[Shaw] was really good. I would expect him to be a draft pick,” Yurkow said. “He just kept throwing, a lot of two seam sinkers and fastballs against our right handed hitters. We just, we just couldn’t really get anything going consistently throughout the day.”
The Quakers desperately needed a change on the mound, but it was no use while facing Shaw.
With Penn replacing Katz with junior pitcher Jake Moss, Yale continued to stifle any Quaker momentum on the back of their workhorse pitcher. Shaw retired all nine batters in the first three innings with seven groundouts quickly followed by two strikeouts.
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“Offensively, we couldn’t get any early base runners on, and it was just really hard for us to string a rally together,” Yurkow said.
The Quakers finally had their first base runner in the bottom of the fifth inning through a single by outfielder Gavin Collins. A double play by the Bulldogs’ shortstop immediately halted the Quakers’ momentum, while another strikeout at the hand of Shaw maintained the Quaker’s five-point deficit.
The Quakers finally broke the scoring drought in the sixth inning, starting with a single by junior outfielder Ryan Taylor. A steal by Taylor put him on second base, marking his 20th steal this season, while a hard-hit single from senior infielder Connor Chavez allowed him to score.
While Shaw still remained as the Bulldogs’ pitcher, the Quakers brought junior right-handed relief pitcher Thomas Shurtleff to the mound. Ultimately, the first home run of the tournament came, but not from the Quakers. An error at second base, shortly followed by Yale infielder/outfielder Tommy Martin’s fifth home run of the year, put the Bulldogs up 7-1. By the end of the seventh inning, Penn had four errors and three hits.
“Going into the tournament. It’s definitely not what I envisioned, pitching wise, with how things kind of transpired over the year with the injuries,” Yurkow said. “Looking at the team going into next year, we had a lot of juniors and sophomores in the lineup. It’ll be interesting [seeing] how those guys come [back] next fall.”
The ninth inning highlighted the senior Quakers. Senior pitcher Will Tobin stood on the mound while senior outfielder Cole McGonigal batted as a pinch hitter. Despite the effort, Penn couldn’t build momentum and ended the game trailing 7-2 on four total hits.
With the uncertainty of an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, the elimination match may have marked a final farewell to the team’s seniors — and to the season.
“That senior class is a great group … I think back to [how] for most of these guys, they were recruited six years ago… you grow very close to those guys,” Yurkow said. “It’s always hard when your season ends, [saying] goodbye to those guys for the last time. Today was going to be the last day [we will] be in the same dugout together.”
