COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus College baseball team fell to Arcadia University 13-3 in the season opener on Wednesday afternoon from Thomas Field.
 

The Bears (0-1) scored two runs in the opening frame, but the Knights (1-0) pitching staff limited the scoring opportunities in later innings enroute to the non-conference victory.

 
Arcadia jumped out to an early 3-0 leading in the opening frame behind three hits and two free passes in the inning. The Knights rally started with a hit-by-pitch with one out before a single put runners on the corners for Arcadia's cleanup man. Arcadia's Tommy Ajjan jumped on an early pitch and lifted a three-run shot to right center field to give the visitors an early lead. Junior Mike Scheller got the start for the Bears and set down the Knights with a punch out and a fly to end the rally.

 
Ursinus quickly answered in the bottom half of the first as junior Jakob Cantor reached on an error and classmate Andrew Richter recorded a double down the right field line. With one out and two runners in scoring position, junior Peter Balos one hopped the left center wall for two RBIs. The Knights escaped the rally with a fly out and a ground out to end the opening frame.

 
Junior David Morgan relieved Sheller on the mound in the second frame, but behind three free passes Arcadia extended their lead to 6-2. With two runners on, Morgan rolled a 6-4-3 double play to escape the jam. In the third inning, sophomore Dan Bass took the mound and retired the side in order behind two groundouts and a pop out. During the Bears turn at the plate, senior Will Kelley collected an RBI single to left field to make the score 6-3. Richter tallied his second hit of the day to start the inning, while classmate Dylan Crammer reached via a walk to put two runners on base. The Knights ended the Bears scoring chance with a strikeout and held a three-run advantage.

 
A familiar face reached base to open the fourth inning as Arcadia's Solomon Griffith, a 2023 Ursinus graduate, and a two-time All-Region selection recorded a single. After advancing into scoring via a pass ball and swiping third, three Knights were stranded on base. Bass worked out of the jam by rolling a groundball back to the mound and fielders' choice to end the frame.

 
Arcadia added a run in the fifth, four runs in the sixth, and two runs in the seventh inning enroute to the 13-3 decision as the game ended after seven innings. Arcadia's Trevor Laraia earned the victory on the mound behind two scoreless frames, while four Knights collected multi-hit performances to pace the offense. For the Bears' offense, Richter finished 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored, while Balos added two RBIs. On the mound, Bass led the pitching staff with 2.2 innings pitched allowing just one earned run on three hits and one walk.

 
The Bears will return to action on Wednesday, February 28^th as they host Marywood University for a 3 p.m. start, before hosting The College of New Jersey on Thursday from Thomas Field.
 

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