Taking a detour from conference play to compete in the Liberty Bell Classic championship game, Penn baseball fell 8-2 to Saint Joseph’s.
The annual tournament has brought together eight Philadelphia-area teams since 1992 and culminates in a championship game at Citizens Bank Park. While the Quakers (15-19, 9-6 Ivy) have participated in the Classic each year since its inception, they have never won the title.
2026 has been an up-and-down season for the Quakers, but they triumphed in Liberty Bell tournament play, putting up 10 runs in their opener against Delaware State (3-33, 3-18 Northeast Conference). A 13-3 mercy rule victory over Lafayette ultimately sent the Quakers to the title game, where they faced three-time victors Saint Joseph’s (26-13, 16-2 Atlantic 10).
The Hawks captured their fourth Liberty Bell trophy with the victory over the Quakers, breaking a 10-year title drought.
“We really didn’t manage much offense tonight. I think we had four hits, a lot of strikeouts, so obviously not our best performance on either side. [We] played decent defense, but that was about it,” coach John Yurkow told The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Pitching woes in the middle innings
Freshman right-handed pitcher Thomas Egbert led off the Quakers in a bullpen game, not allowing a hit during the first two innings of play. When freshman left-handed pitcher Luke Pokrovsky relieved Egbert at the mound in the top of the third, the momentum shifted in favor of the Hawks.
After walking St. Joe’s outfielder Alex Kesley, the freshman walked a second hitter, St. Joe’s catcher Blake Primrose. A wild pitch allowed both runners to advance to scoring positions, and a clean single from St. Joe’s infielder Richard Beggy batted in both runners. Another run was given up, before the third inning closed with the Hawks up 3-1 on the Quakers.
A rotation on the mound didn’t solve the problem. After sophomore left-handed pitcher Aidan von Zuben gave up two more runs, Penn found itself in a 5-2 hole at the bottom of the sixth.
“I think we gave him 14 freebies. We walked eight guys and hit six. So, you’re not going to win many games when you’re doing that,” Yurkow said.
Offensive struggles following a promising first inning
The Quakers started off hot, getting on base four times in the bottom of the first with two hits. After a single from senior outfielder Ryan Taylor, a hit by pitch sent junior first infielder Nick Spaventa to first base, with three runners on for the Quakers.
With two outs and loaded bases, freshman infielder Jack Warner hit an infield single to bring a runner home.
“He gives you competitive at-bats, and that’s why he’s been in the lineup and why he’s been able to stay in the lineup. He’s a real competitive kid. He’s doing a pretty good job for a freshman,” Yurkow said of Warner’s performance.
Warner’s single was a bright spot of the loss, as the Quakers went on to record two more hits in the following eight innings. Over the course of the game, only three Quakers recorded hits, and no one earned a walk. The Quakers ended the game with just four hits over 32 at-bats, compared to the Hawks’ 10 hits over 36 at-bats.
Even though Penn’s bats were cold for the vast majority of the game, some Quakers shone on the Philadelphia Phillies’ home turf. Junior outfielder Gavin Degnan hit his fifth home run of the year in the fourth inning to make it a one-run affair. Warner stole the show once again as he singled to left-center field and stole second in the bottom of the fourth.
While freshman infielder Jay Secretarski made it to second in the bottom of the fifth after a hit by pitch and a stolen base, that would be the last time the Quakers made it on the diamond. The Hawks pulled off an offensive tour de force in the final four innings, racking up four runs to solidify their claim over the Liberty Bell crown.
The Quakers look to bounce back as they head to Cambridge, Mass., to take on the Harvard Crimson for a three-game series starting on Saturday at 11:30 a.m.
