SWARTHMORE, Pa. – A late rally proved to be the difference as the Ursinus College baseball team dropped a 9-7 contest to Swarthmore College on Tuesday afternoon at Clothier Field.
 
 
With the loss, Ursinus falls to 14-9 on the season and 1-2 in Centennial Conference play, while the Garnet improve to 12-12 overall and 3-0 in conference action. Sophomore Brandon Sullivan led the Bears' offense by reaching base in four of his five at-bats, recording two hits and an RBI. Senior Peter Balos hit his fourth home run of the season, finishing 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.
 
 
Sullivan led off the game with a single to left field, and free passes by seniors Jakob Cantor and Andrew Richter loaded the bases with no outs. The Garnet escaped the jam as a strikeout and 6-3 double play ended the threat. Senior Mike Scheller started on the mound for the Bears and worked around a two-out single to keep the contest scoreless after the first inning.
 
 
Ursinus broke through for the first two runs of the game in the second inning, totaling three walks, a hit-by-pitch, and a base hit. Sophomore Barritt Ross led off with a walk before a fielder's choice, and a strikeout threatened the scoring chance. After a walk by senior Jordan Williams, Sullivan singled again, driving in first-year Devin Fogg to give Ursinus a 1-0 lead. The Bears added their next run on a wild pitch, but a fly out with the bases loaded stranded three runners on base.
 
 
Swarthmore added a run in the bottom of the second inning, before Ursinus increased its lead to 4-1 in the top of the third inning. Senior Jude Gilhool led off with a single to left field and advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. A walk and a sacrifice bunt put two runners in scoring position with just one out. Junior George Nestor came through with a sacrifice fly, driving in two runs to extend the Bears' lead to three. On the play, Nestor's fly ball reached the warning track, and a wild relay throw allowed Ross to score from second base. The Garnet capitalized on a Bears' infield error defense in the bottom of the third, scoring an unearned run to make it 4-2.
 
 
In the bottom of the fourth, Swarthmore added three runs on three hits to take its first lead, 5-4. Ursinus responded in the following frame as Balos led off with a home run to centerfield to tie the score at 5-5. Balos jumped on a 0-1 changeup, blasting the homerun to the deepest part of the park for his second straight game with a homer. Later in the inning, Fogg and Ross each reached base, with Ross scoring on a balk to give Ursinus a 6-5 lead.
 
 
Swarthmore tied the score in the bottom of the fifth with a leadoff double and a Bears' defensive error, making it 6-6. The Garnet added a run in the sixth and two insurance runs in the eighth to take a 9-6 advantage. In the final frame, Balos lead off with his second extra-base hit of the game, a triple to right field. Junior Shane Beaver reached first on a throwing error, allowing Balos to cross the plate and cut the deficit to 9-7. Unfortunately, a groundout, flyout, and strikeout ended the game with Ursinus falling 9-7.  
 
 
The Bears return to action on Friday, April 4th as they host Swarthmore with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.