AUBURNDALE, FL. – First-year pitcher Dan Bass recorded his first career shutout leading the Ursinus College baseball team to a split with John Carroll University on Monday evening.
 


Bass pitched seven innings in the nightcap of the doubleheader, scattering five hits and two walks while fanning eight batters in route to his second victory this season.


 
John Carroll took the first game of the doubleheader via an 8-1 score while the Bears earned a 1-0 victory in the nightcap to salvage a series split. With the split, the Bears improved to 4-6 on the season meanwhile the Blue Streaks sit at a 5-2 record overall.
 
 
Game One: Ursinus 1, John Carroll 8

 
In the top half of the first inning, the Bears put two runners in scoring position as Will Kelley led off with a walk and senior Solomon Griffith advanced Kelley to third with a double to left center. Ursinus was unable to scratch a run across as back-to-back groundouts ended the Bears threat in the opening inning. Sophomore Kieran Hollander received the start on the mound for Ursinus and faced trouble from the Blue Streaks in their first chance at the plate. After retiring the first two men in the inning, Hollander walked the bases loaded before closing out the inning with a ground out to second.


 
In the second inning, sophomore Jakob Cantor recorded a one-out single but back-to-back strikeouts from the Bears brought the Blue Streaks back up to the plate. John Carroll added the first two runs of the game in the second as a sacrifice bunt set up a run to score on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly. The Blue Streaks led off the inning with a walk and hit by pitch before both runners advanced into scoring position on the sac bunt.


 
The Blue Streaks increased their lead to four in the third inning as three free passes loaded the bases. Their first run came across to score due to a sacrifice fly and the deficit increased to four for Ursinus as another wild pitch brought home a run. After another hit by pitch, first-year Max Shilstone relieved Hollander on the mound and escaped the inning with a ground out to second.


 
In the fourth, Ursinus put two runners on base as sophomore Peter Balos led off with a single into left field and would advance to second as Cantor was hit by a pitch. With one out, each runner moved 90ft closer on a wild pitch from the Blue Streaks. During the same at bat, Balos was cut down trying to score from home and John Carroll escaped the jam with a strikeout to end the inning.


 
John Carroll increased their lead in the bottom of the fourth inning as a two-out two run homerun from Justin Hanley gave the Blue Streak a 6-0 lead. Griffith led the Bears at the plate collecting two hits and an RBI while Cantor tallied a base knock in each of his at bats. On the mound, Hollander allowed four earned runs behind seven free passes and two hit by pitches over 2.2 innings of work. In relief, first-year Max Shilstone recorded 3.1 innings of work while allowing four earned runs on five hits and two free passes.
Ursinus answered in the top of the fifth inning scoring their first run of the contest as Griffith collected an RBI groundout scoring Cory Burns from third. With two runners in scoring position, John Carroll escaped the inning with a 3-2 double play to keep the Bears deficit at five. The Blue Streaks responded in their half of the inning with a two-run homerun from Michael Persichetti to increase their lead to seven.


 
Ursinus put two runners on base in the sixth and seventh innings, but the Blue Streaks kept the Bears offense off-balance closing out the contest with an 8-1 victory.

Game Two: Ursinus 1, John Carroll 0
 
The nightcap featured a pitchers' duel between John Carroll's Henry Darrow and Daniel Bass for the Bears as they combined to give up one earned run and six hits through a contest that lasted less than two hours.

 
Bass retired the opening three batters for the Blue Streaks and the Bears offense recorded the only run of the contest in the bottom half of the first inning. After a leadoff walk from Kelley, Griffith collected a single into right center allowing Kelley to advance to third. The Bears scored during the next at bat as a wild pitch allowed Kelley to score but back-to-back strikeouts ended the inning for Ursinus.


 
The Blue Streaks collected back-to-back base hits to open the second frame, but on the second hit, senior right fielder Tom Snipes cut down a runner try to advance to third. Bass would settle down by recording the final two via strikeouts to end the Blue Streaks rally.  In the bottom half, Ursinus loaded the bases behind a walk and two hit-by-pitches, but a strikeout stranded all three runners.


 
Over the next two innings, John Carroll advanced runners into scoring position, but each time the Bears' freshman right hander closed out the innings with flyouts to right field. In the top of the fifth inning, Bass retired the Blue Streaks in order behind three consecutive flyouts. Bass continued to shine in the sixth inning, fanning the leadoff man before collecting the final two outs via a pop out and ground out.


In the final frame, he punched out the first two batters to come to the plate before a single into left field put the tying run on base. After a passed ball allowed a runner to advance into scoring position, Bass recorded the final out via a strikeout, his eighth of the game to give Ursinus the 1-0 victory.


 
Griffith tallied the only base hit for the Bears in game two while Kelley reached base via walks to lead the Ursinus offense. Bass recorded the first shutout for Ursinus this season and currently leads the team with a 3.09 ERA while ranking second on the team with 13 strikeouts.


 
The Bears will return to action tomorrow for a doubleheader against Vassar College starting at 9:45 a.m.