Philly Leader

The University of Pennsylvania baseball team entered the matchup against Dartmouth hoping to maintain their strong performance in Ivy League play. However, their aspirations were dashed as Dartmouth secured a doubleheader victory at Red Rolfe Field in Hanover, New Hampshire, on Friday.

The Big Green won their first two games of the season, defeating the Quakers 8-7 and 5-2. The Quakers' early accomplishments in the league, with a record of 8-12 overall and 3-2 in the Ivy League, faced setbacks as Dartmouth improved their standing to 2-13 overall and 2-3 in the conference.

Dartmouth's triumph marked their first series win against Penn since 2012, with that series also held in Hanover. Penn's Davis Baker was a standout performer despite the losses, delivering a 3-for-6 performance in Game 1, which included a double, an inside-the-park home run, and joining the 150-hit club in his career. Freshman Ernie Echevarria also contributed significantly with a 3-for-5 performance, scoring a run and adding an RBI.

Noah Millikan, the Penn starting pitcher in Game 1, suffered his second loss of the season after conceding six runs on seven hits over four innings. Although relief pitchers Tommy Delany and Marty Coyne limited damage by allowing only two more runs, the Penn offense fell short.

In the second game, Penn managed only two runs on seven hits. Sebastian Haggard, charged with his first loss of the year, allowed four runs on six hits. Josh Katz relieved him, pitching 4.1 innings, permitting one unearned run while striking out five Dartmouth batters.

Looking forward, the Quakers aim to avert a series sweep against Dartmouth at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. The next game is set for Saturday with a scheduled start at 2 p.m.