CHESTER, Pa. – The Ursinus baseball team scored in each of the first six innings en route to a decisive 18-7 victory over Widener University on the road Tuesday afternoon.
With the victory, Ursinus earned its fourth straight win and improved to 6-4 on the season. Meanwhile, the Pride fell to 3-4. It marks the most runs in a game for Ursinus since a 24-2 victory last season over the University of Valley Forge.
Sophomore
Luke Kopec powered the Bears' offense, finishing 4-for-6 at the plate with his first home run of the season and a career-high six RBIs. Sophomore
Matthew Callahan and first-year
Brett Barrett each added three hits, three RBIs and combined for six runs scored. Seniors
George Nestor and
Kyle Rosenfeld, along with junior
Brandon Sullivan, each tallied two hits to round out the Ursinus lineup.
On the mound, first-year
Austin Spisszak earned his first career victory, pitching 2 2/3 innings with three strikeouts while allowing one earned run. First-years
JJ Lai and
Jamie O'Neill, along with junior
Ben Couture, each posted scoreless outings out of the bullpen for Ursinus.
For the seventh time this season, Ursinus scored in the first inning, adding a pair of runs on three hits. Sullivan led off by reaching base via a hit-by-pitch and quickly moved into scoring position with a stolen base. Callahan followed with an RBI double to score Sullivan and later came home on Kopec's first hit of the day, an RBI single up the middle. The rally ended there as a caught stealing and two flyouts closed the inning with Ursinus leading 2-0.
Spisszak cruised through his opening frame, recording a flyout, groundout and strikeout. In the second inning, Ursinus increased its advantage to 7-0, scoring five runs on four hits and two walks. Nestor led off the inning with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a single from Sullivan. Kopec and Gesford followed with RBIs, while a two-out double from Barrett plated two runners to close the inning.
Widener scored in each of the next two innings, but Ursinus responded with three runs in the third and two in the fourth to take a commanding 12-3 lead. In the top of the fifth, Rosenfeld delivered a bases-clearing double to increase the Ursinus lead to 15-4. Sophomore
Gavin Wagner started the rally with a walk, while Barrett singled, and O'Neill was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
The Pride scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut the deficit to 15-7, but Kopec's first career home run in the sixth extended the Ursinus lead to 17-7. Kopec jumped on the first pitch he saw and blasted a home run over Widener's "Blue Monster," a 34-foot-high wall in left field.
Ursinus added the game's final run in the eighth inning as Barrett doubled down the right-field line to score sophomore
Devin Fogg from first, sealing the 18-7 victory.
The Bears return to action Wednesday against Rosemont College with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m.
