BALTIMORE, MD. – The Ursinus College baseball team led for majority of the contest but runs in the eighth and ninth innings allowed the 14th ranked Johns Hopkins University to a 5-4 victory over the Bears on Sunday afternoon from Babb Field.

 
First-year Barritt Ross received his second start of the season on the mound and turned in the longest out of his career behind 5.2 innings pitched. Ross scattered four hits, three earned runs, three walks, and struck out two batters. Classmate Ryan Barrow relieved Ross on the mound and pitched a scoreless inning while allowing two free passes and striking out two batters.

 
At the plate, juniors Jakob Cantor, Andre Richter, and Jordan Williams each tallied two base hits apiece while senior outfielder Dylan Crammer finished 1-for-2 with a team-high two RBIs. Junior Jude Gilhool finished 1-for-3 with an RBI, while sophomore catcher George Nestor added an extra base hit during a 1-for-4 performance.

 
The Bears struck first in the top of the opening frame as a wild pitch allowed Cantor to cross the plate and give Ursinus an early 1-0 advantage. Cantor led off the frame with a one-out double before advancing to third on a single from Richter into right field. Next, senior Will Kelley reached first on a free pass with the final pitch of the at-bat being the wild pitch to allow Cantor to score. The Bears stranded two runners on base as a flyout ended the opening frame.

 
Ross took the mound in the bottom of the first frame and after allowing a one-out walk, he settled in retiring the next two batters to strand a runner at first base. The Blue Jays put two runners on base in the second inning via a single and hit-by-pitch, but Ross escaped the jam by recording a strikeout to end the inning. Ursinus added a run in the fourth inning as three consecutive hits stretched the Bears lead to 2-0. After two quick outs, Williams tallied an infield single before advancing into scoring position on a double from Nestor into right center. With two outs and two runners on, Crammer came through with a single up the middle to give Ursinus a two-run lead. In the bottom half of the frame, Ross allowed a leadoff walk but back-to-back flyouts and a strikeout stranded the Blue Jays runner over at first base.

 
The Bears added another run in the fifth inning to extend their lead to 3-0 after capitalizing on a Blue Jays defensive error. Richter led off with a one-out single before advancing into scoring position a wild pitch. Gilhool followed up with an RBI single into right field to increase the Bears lead to three but would be stranded in scoring position as a flyout and strikeout ended the frame. Ross cruised through the Blue Jays half of the fifth inning as he retired each of the three batters, he faced via a line out and two flyouts.
 

In the top of the sixth inning, Williams led off the frame with a double into left center and advanced to third as Nestor put down a sacrifice bunt. Next, Crammer came up and lined out to right field but Williams was able to cross the plate on the sacrifice fly to give Ursinus a 4-0 lead. Next, first-year Brandon Sullivan came through with an infield single before stealing second and third base but a groundout back to the mound ended the Bears' threat. The Blue Jays responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth inning as a double and two-run homerun brough their deficit to 4-3. Barrow took over on the mound and fanned the first batter he faced as the contest entered the seventh inning.

 
The Bears nearly added an insurance run in the seventh as they loaded the bases with one out, but a strikeout and flyout allowed the Blue Jays to escape the jam. Gilhool and Ross each earned free passes while Kelley was hit-by-a-pitch. Johns Hopkins also loaded the bases in their chance at the plate leading to a pitching change as junior Connor Bogansky replaced Barrow on the mound. Marking his fifth appearance on the season, Bogansky struck out Shawn Steuerer who currently ranks top-three in the Centennial Conference in homeruns.

 
Johns Hopkins tied the game at four apiece in the eighth inning as a sacrifice fly allowed a run to cross the plate. The Blue Jays received a leadoff walk before an infield single and a sacrifice bunt put two runners in scoring position with one out. Next, the sacrifice fly tied the contest before a walk and fly would close out the frame with the score tied. In the top of the ninth, Ross reached with two outs via a walk and stole second base to put the winning run, in scoring position. Unfortunately, the Bears threat to score was denied as a strikeout closed out the frame. The Blue Jays received a free pass to open their chance at the plate as the winning run advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. Johns Hopkins won the game as an RBI single down the right field line gave the Blue Jays a 5-4 victory.
 
 
The Bears will return to action on Tuesday, April 9th as they travel to Lancaster for a Centennial Conference matchup against Franklin & Marshall at 3:30 p.m.