MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Behind a fast start, the Ursinus College baseball team cruised to a 14-4 victory over The College at Old Westbury at the Ripken Baseball Complex on Sunday evening.
 
The victory marked the Bears' eighth straight as they improved to 10-4 overall, while the Panthers fell to 3-2 on the season. Junior Brandon Sullivan and first-year Brett Barrett led the Bears' offense, finishing with two hits and three RBIs apiece. Sophomore Luke Kopec, first-year Jamie O'Neill and senior Patrick Collins each added two hits and combined for seven runs scored.
 
Ursinus struck first in the top of the first inning, scoring six runs off five hits and an error to grab the early lead. Sullivan led off the inning with a walk, while a single and stolen base by Kopec put two runners in scoring position with one out. After a strikeout, Barrett reached on a defensive error, allowing Sullivan and Kopec to score and give Ursinus a two-run lead. Barrett tallied the third stolen base of the inning to reach scoring position before a single up the middle by Gesford extended the Bears' lead to three. O'Neill added an RBI single, while Sullivan followed with a two-out, two-RBI double to give Ursinus a six-run lead. The Bears scored all six runs with two outs before a groundout ended the frame.
 
The Panthers answered in the bottom half of the first, scoring one run on a double-steal attempt with runners on the corners. Junior starting pitcher Barritt Ross stranded a runner in scoring position by forcing a flyout to end the inning.
 
Ursinus responded in the second, scoring a pair of runs on two hits to push the lead to 8-1. Barrett started the rally with his team-leading second triple of the season. After a passed ball allowed Barrett to score, O'Neill added his second hit of the contest — a double to left-center with two outs. He later came around to score on a defensive error before a strikeout ended the frame.
 
A pair of Panthers reached base in the second, but a strong defensive play by Sullivan in center field kept Old Westbury off the board. With runners on the corners and one out, Sullivan cut down a runner at the plate trying to score on a flyout for the Bears' 14th double play of the season.
 
Ursinus added a run in the fourth inning on an RBI groundout by Gesford, and a sacrifice fly by Sullivan in the fifth extended the Bears' lead to 10-1. However, the Panthers responded with a run in the fifth and two runs in the sixth to cut the deficit to 10-4.
 
The Bears answered with four runs in the top of the seventh inning to push their lead to 14-4. Collins led off the frame with a five-pitch walk before advancing into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by senior Kyle Rosenfeld. Sullivan tallied his third hit of the contest with a single to right, while a single by sophomore Matthew Callahan pushed the Bears' lead to 11-4 with one out. After a strikeout, Sullivan scored on a wild pitch and Callahan crossed the plate on a defensive error by Old Westbury. The Bears' final run of the frame came on a single by Barrett, scoring first-year Nolan Carroll from second to give Ursinus a 10-run cushion.
 
Senior pitcher Brett Mutz took the mound for Ursinus in the bottom of the seventh and retired the Panthers in order on a pop-up and consecutive ground outs . Sophomore Evan Sciubba relieved Mutz in the eighth and closed out the final two innings on the mound, striking out three batters to secure the 14-4 victory.
 
Callahan, Sullivan, Barrett, Gesford and Kopec each extended their on-base streaks to 14 games, while Sullivan holds the team's longest active hitting streak at five games.
 
The Bears return to action Monday evening with a scheduled doubleheader against Ithaca College beginning at 5 p.m. at Polo Grounds Field.