COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus College baseball team was downed, 17-12, in a slugfest against Lancaster Bible College on Tuesday afternoon at Thomas Field.
The loss snapped the Bears' 11-game winning streak as they fell to 13-5 on the season. With the victory, the Chargers improved to 7-7 overall. Sophomore shortstop
Matthew Callahan paced the Ursinus offense, finishing 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. First-year
Joe Graziani led the team with three RBIs, while senior
Kyle Rosenfeld and junior
Brandon Sullivan each added two hits and two runs scored.
The Chargers capitalized on a defensive error in the opening frame to take an early 2-0 lead before Ursinus responded with seven runs in the bottom half to claim a 7-2 advantage. Sullivan led off with a single and advanced to third on a double by sophomore
Luke Kopec. After a walk and a sacrifice fly, first-year
Jamie O'Neill delivered a one-out double to tie the game at two. Graziani drove in two runs with a single, while Rosenfeld and Callahan each added RBI base hits to extend the lead.
Lancaster Bible added a pair of runs in the third before scoring six in the fourth inning to take a 10-7 advantage. The Bears answered in the bottom of the fourth, scoring three runs on one hit and four walks to tie the game at 10. Callahan led off the inning with Ursinus' lone hit before consecutive walks loaded the bases with no outs. Sophomore
Isaac Gesford recorded an RBI on a fielder's choice, while another free pass and two wild pitches allowed Kopec to score. Graziani capped the inning with a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing home Gesford to even the score.
However, Lancaster Bible answered with three runs in the top of the fifth to regain a 13-10 lead. The Chargers opened the inning with a single, and after two quick outs, kept the rally alive. A go-ahead single put the visitors in front before a two-run home run to right-center pushed the lead to three.
Lancaster Bible added two runs in the seventh on a two-out single to extend its lead to 15-10, but Rosenfeld and Sullivan scored in the bottom half to trim the deficit to three. The Chargers added a run in both the eighth and ninth innings en route to the 17-12 win. Lancaster Bible's Evan Sareyka earned the victory in relief, pitching the final five innings and allowing just two earned runs.
The Bears will look to bounce back Wednesday when they host No. 7 Salisbury University. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
