John Yurkow certainly didn't foresee it unfolding this way, but he and his Penn Quakers emerged from the loser's bracket to sweep Cornell on Monday, securing their spot in the NCAA Tournament.

 

Faced with a do-or-die scenario, the Quakers needed to defeat the Big Red twice on Monday to claim their third consecutive Ivy League pennant—and they delivered under pressure. 

 

In Game 1, Connor Chavez hit a crucial three-run homer in the seventh inning to break an 8-8 tie, propelling the Quakers to an 11-9 victory. Game 2 saw Wyatt Henseler set the tone early with his 22nd homer of the season in the opening frame, and Asa Wilson delivered a bases-clearing triple in the eighth, leading Penn to a 12-6 win. 

 

Penn had a commanding 7-2 lead entering the sixth inning of the nightcap, but the Big Red responded with four runs to trim the lead to one. Cornell had the tying run in scoring position in the seventh, but reliever Danny Heintz worked out of the jam to maintain the Quakers' slim lead. 

 

Chavez led off the eighth with a double, and Carson Ozmer worked a bases-loaded walk to score Chavez as insurance. Ryan Taylor also crossed the plate on a wild pitch after reaching via an infield single. Asa Wilson then provided the highlight of the frame with a three-run triple, extending Penn's advantage to six runs. 

 

Marty Coyne recorded the victory, tossing 3 2/3 innings for the Quakers while surrendering two runs, one earned, on four hits. Heintz tossed a solid 1 1/3 in relief while Eli Trop tossed a perfect ninth to secure the win. 

 

Henseler's 22 home runs set a new Ivy League single-season record. 

 

Despite entering the season as favorites, Penn stumbled during the regular season. They needed victories in the final weekend to finish 11-10 and secure the No. 4 seed in the four-team Ivy League Tournament. 

 

Penn's journey to the pennant began with a win over No. 1 seed Columbia on Friday. However, a loss to Cornell on Sunday pushed them to the loser's bracket. They then eliminated Princeton later that day, setting up Monday's decisive games against Cornell. 

 

The tournament began at Columbia's Robertson Field on Friday, but heavy rain on Saturday and poor field conditions forced the remainder of the competition to be played at Yogi Berra Stadium in Little Egg, NJ. 

The Quakers will learn their regional assignment when the NCAA unveils its bracket on Monday.