WESTMINISTER, MD. –  The Ursinus College baseball team stayed alive in the Centennial Conference playoff push with a doubleheader split against McDaniel College on Thursday afternoon.
 

The Bears used three runs in the eighth inning to earn a 7-5 victory in game one, while the Green Terror took the nightcap via a 5-1 score. With the split, the Bears move to 16-22 overall and 8-8 in Centennial Conference action, meanwhile McDaniel sits at 18-17 on the season and 6-10-1 in conference play.
 
Game One: Ursinus 7, McDaniel 5
 
The Bears struck first in the top of the third inning scoring three runs off three hits to take an early 3-0 advantage. With two outs and a runner on second, sophomore Jakob Cantor recorded an RBI single to plate the first run of the ballgame. Junior Will Kelley and senior Solomon Griffith followed suit bringing home the next two runs via RBI doubles, before a groundout ended the frame.

 
McDaniel answered with two runs in the third to cut their deficit to one, before senior Tom Snipes launched a solo homerun to increase the Bears lead to two in the fourth inning. Senior right-hander Casey Murphy started on the mound for Ursinus and cruised through his fourth inning of work on the mound after bouncing back from a one-out walk. McDaniel tied the contest at four a piece in the fifth inning, tallying two runs off three hits before a groundout ended the frame. Each pitching staff cruised through the middle innings as neither team could generate many scoring opportunities.

 
In the eighth inning, Cantor led off with a base on balls and advanced to second from a sacrifice bunt by Kelley. After Griffith was intentionally walked and Cantor swiped third, sophomore Peter Balos recorded an RBI fielder's choice to give Ursinus a 5-4 lead. Griffith swiped third during the next at-bat and Snipes collected his second RBI with a single into centerfield. The Bears earned the final run of the inning as Balos crossed the plate on a McDaniel balk to capture a 7-4 lead.

 
Senior right-hander Matt Tuley relieved Murphy on the mound in the eighth and after allowing an unearned run, he retired six of the next seven batters to collect the save out of the bullpen.

 
Murphy earned the win on the mound pitching seven innings while allowing nine hits, four earned runs, and striking out four batters. Tuley recorded his second save of the season collecting the final six outs while allowing just one hit and fanning two batters. Snipes paced the Bears offense with two hits and two RBIs including the homerun, while Cantor, Kelley, and Griffith each tallied a base hit and a RBI.
 
 
Game Two: Ursinus 1, McDaniel 5
 
The Green Terror notched the first run of the game in the opening inning, behind loading the bases with just one out and an RBI groundout. McDaniel's pitching staff kept the Bears offense off balance throughout the first three innings as the first nine men were retired in order. McDaniel added two insurance runs in the third inning behind a two-out single from Connor Uhrig that plated two runs.
 

With Ursinus trailing 4-0 in the sixth inning, senior Nick Diaz led off with a walk and advanced to second on a single from Cantor. The Bears rally ended their as a 1-6-3 double play and a groundout ended the frame. Ursinus added a run in the seventh frame behind an RBI single from sophomore Dylan Runsdorf, but McDaniel extended their advantage to 5-1 during the bottom of the frame after a leadoff homerun. The Green Terror would hang on to the 5-1 lead and earn the victory to salvage a season series split.
 
 
At the plate, Cantor, Kelley, Snipes, and Balos each recorded a base hit, while Runsdorf tallied the only RBI behind a 1-for-4 evening. Sophomore Kieran Hollander started on the mound and received the loss after allowing four earned runs over 3.2 innings of work. Senior David Kratz pitched 3.1 innings, allowing five hits, one earned run, and struck out three batters. Sophomore Justin Simone closed out the final inning, striking out one batter without allowing a base runner.
 
 
The Bears return to action tomorrow as they travel to Coca-Cola Park, home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs to square off against Muhlenberg College for a 10:30am start.

 
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