EASTON, Pa. – The Lafayette baseball team was bested by Penn, 9-7 and 7-6, in two hard-fought, close games on Saturday at Kamine Stadium.

In game one, the Quakers got on the board in the bottom of the first, scoring on a pass ball. In the fifth, Davis Baker gave Penn a 2-0 lead on a solo home run.

In the bottom of the frame, freshman Alex Barrist put the Leopards in the scoring column with a sacrifice fly to center field that scored sophomore Teddy Cashman and made the tally 2-1. Later in the inning, junior Ethan Swidler tied the game, 2-2, on an RBI-single to left center field.

Penn responded, scoring four runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh.

In the bottom the seventh, Barrist drove in his second run of the day, again plating Cashman and making the score 8-3.

Penn scored another run in the eighth. Lafayette added a run to its total in the bottom of the frame, as Cashman singled down the left field line. His second hit of the game, driving in freshman Jack Mislan, brought the score to 9-4.

The Leopards mounted a rally in the ninth. Senior Easton Brenner ripped an RBI-double to right field and then later in the inning, senior Michael Zarrillo lined an RBI-single to left field. Mislan drove in another run on a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 9-7.

In the ninth, Lafayette put the winning run at the plate, but was unable to score in the 9-7 final.

Sebastian Haggard collected the win, throwing 5.0 innings, giving up two runs on four hits and striking out four. Thomas Shurtleff earned the save, working 0.2 innings, surrendering a hit and striking out two. Junior Patrick Walega took the loss, pitching 1.0 innings, giving up six runs on four hits.

In game two, Penn again scored first on a two-run home run by Jarrett Pokrovsky.

Lafayette responded in the third with a pair of two-run home runs. The first was by Swidler, a rocket to left field that tied the game at 2-2. Later in the inning, Zarrillo ripped a two-run home run to left field, giving the Leopards the lead, 4-2.

In the fourth, Lafayette tacked another run onto its lead, as Swidler collected his second hit of the game. His RBI-single to left field drove in junior Bode Grieve and made the tally 5-2.

The Quakers scored two more runs in the fifth and took the lead in the sixth, scoring two runs a home run by Nick Spaventa.

The Leopards tied the game, 6-6, in the bottom of the sixth when Grieve scored on a wild pitch.

Penn took back the lead in the top of the eighth, 7-6, via a Gavin Degnan homer. This proved to be the final score, as the game was called after eight innings due to darkness.

Josh Katz garnered the win, surrendering just two hits and a run in four innings of work, while striking out four. John Serwinski got the save, facing two batters in the bottom of the eighth and recording a strikeout. Sophomore Ben Waterman took the loss, throwing 2.2 innings, giving up two runs on three hits with three strikeouts. 

The Leopards are next in action when they travel to Penn State on Wednesday for a non-conference matchup at 5:30 p.m.