COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – A strong pitching performance and an eight-run fourth inning lifted the Ursinus baseball team to a split against Washington College on Saturday afternoon in its Centennial Conference opener.
 
The Bears earned a 12-1 victory in game one but fell, 6-5, in the nightcap to split the doubleheader with the Shoremen. With the split, Ursinus moves to 14-7 overall and 1-1 in Centennial Conference play, while Washington College now sits at 13-10 overall and 1-1 in conference action.
 
Senior right-hander Dan Bass highlighted the doubleheader by pitching a complete game in game one, tossing seven innings while allowing one unearned run, striking out six and scattering two hits. Bass' complete game marked the fourth of his career, and he has not allowed an earned run over his last three appearances, spanning 16.2 innings pitched.
 
Junior Brandon Sullivan led the Bears' offense, finishing 5-for-9 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Sophomore Matthew Callahan added two hits and four RBIs in game one, extending his hitting streak to six games. He is now tied for second on the team with 24 RBIs.
 
Game One:  Ursinus 12, Washington College 1 (seven innings)
 
The Shoremen put a runner in scoring position in the first inning, but Bass worked around a one-out walk by recording a popout and a groundout. Callahan and senior Shane Beaver reached for Ursinus in the bottom half via walks, but a groundout stranded both runners and kept the game scoreless.
 
Bass settled in on the mound, inducing a 4-6-3 double play to end the second inning before Ursinus tallied the game's opening run in the bottom half. Junior Marco Maiuolo led off with a hit-by-pitch and advanced to second on a single by senior George Nestor. After a strikeout, Ursinus capitalized on a defensive error to take a 1-0 lead.
 
Bass retired six of his next seven batters before the Bears broke through for eight runs on seven hits in the fourth inning to take a commanding 9-0 lead. Nestor led off with a walk, and consecutive bunt singles by senior Kyle Rosenfeld and Sullivan loaded the bases with no outs. Callahan followed with a double down the left-field line, scoring two runs to extend the lead to 3-0.
 
A sacrifice fly by Beaver and a two-out, two-RBI single by Maiuolo pushed the lead to 6-0. Rosenfeld and Sullivan then added RBI hits to cap the inning and give Ursinus a nine-run advantage.
 
In the fifth, Washington College put its leadoff hitter on base, but he was picked off, and a pair of flyouts ended the threat. The Shoremen added an unearned run in the sixth, but Ursinus responded with three runs in the bottom half to extend the lead to 12-1. After Maiuolo walked, a throwing error allowed him to score on a sacrifice bunt. Rosenfeld and Sullivan each singled, and Callahan's second double of the game drove in both runners to give Ursinus an 11-run cushion. Bass returned for the seventh and struck out the side to secure the 12-1 mercy-rule victory.

Game Two: Washington College 6, Ursinus 5

The Shoremen struck first in game two, scoring a run on two hits with two outs. Ursinus answered in the third inning, using a pair of hits to tie the game at 1-1. Sullivan led off with a single, and Callahan followed with an infield hit. After a fielder's choice left runners on the corners, Beaver grounded out to score Sullivan.
 
Washington College responded in the fifth, scoring two runs with two outs on a single by Brett Connolly after drawing three walks in the inning.
 
Ursinus answered in the bottom half, scoring three runs on two hits and a walk to take a 4-3 lead. Rosenfeld led off with a walk, and Sullivan tripled to right field to cut the deficit to 3-2. Sophomore Luke Kopec followed with a triple to right-center to score Sullivan, then came home on a wild pitch to give the Bears the lead.
 
Washington College tied the game at 4-4 in the sixth on a two-out double, but Ursinus responded in the bottom half to regain a 5-4 advantage. Nestor doubled with two outs, and Rosenfeld followed with an RBI double down the right-field line.
 
Both teams stranded runners in scoring position in the seventh, but Washington College plated two runs in the eighth to take a 6-5 lead. A hit-by-pitch sparked the rally, followed by a single and a sacrifice fly to tie the game. A two-out single then drove in the go-ahead run.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, Ursinus put two runners on with two outs as Beaver walked and first-year Brett Barrett reached on an error. However, a groundout to second base ended the game, securing the split for Washington College.
 
The Bears return to action on Tuesday, March 31st, when they host Swarthmore College before traveling to Swarthmore on Friday afternoon.