COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – A four-run seventh inning lifted the Ursinus baseball team to a 9-8 victory over TCNJ in 10 innings on Thursday evening at Diamond Nation Sports Complex.
With the victory, Ursinus improves to 3-4 on the season while the Lions fall to 2-4 overall. The Bears snapped a three-game skid against TCNJ dating back to a 5-3 win in March 2020.
At the plate, Ursinus drew 18 walks and was hit by five pitches but stranded 21 runners on base. Junior outfielder
Brandon Sullivan reached base five times, finishing 1-for-3 with four walks and three runs scored. Sophomore
Luke Kopec added two hits to go 2-for-5, while first-year
Brett Barrett and sophomore
Matthew Callahan each recorded two RBIs.
For the fifth straight game, Ursinus scored in its first at-bat to grab a 1-0 lead. Sullivan led off with an infield single and advanced into scoring position on a fielder's choice before junior
Marco Maiuolo lifted a sacrifice fly to score Sullivan.
TCNJ responded in the bottom half of the inning with three hits, including a three-run home run, to take a 3-1 lead.
In the third inning, Ursinus added a run on one hit, two walks and a sacrifice fly to trim the deficit to 3-2. Kopec led off with a double to right-center and moved to third on a groundout by sophomore
Isaac Gesford. Maiuolo and Barrett drew walks to load the bases before Callahan lifted a fly ball to right to score Kopec. A hit-by-pitch loaded the bases again, but a flyout ended the threat with three Bears stranded.
The Bears capitalized on two walks and a pair of hit-by-pitches in the fourth inning to push across two runs and regain a 4-3 lead. Gesford delivered an RBI infield single, while Barrett drew a four-pitch walk with the bases loaded to force in the second run.
On the mound, senior pitcher
Dan Bass cruised through the middle innings, retiring 11 straight batters from the first through the fourth before a Lions single led off the fifth. TCNJ broke through in the inning, using three hits and a two-run home run to reclaim a 6-4 advantage.
After a pitching change in the sixth, the Lions extended their lead to 7-4 with a solo home run to open the frame. First-year pitcher
Austin Downs settled in, recording two flyouts and a strikeout to end the inning.
Ursinus answered in the seventh, scoring four runs on just one hit along with four walks and two hit-by-pitches to regain an 8-7 advantage. After consecutive walks opened the inning, senior
Kyle Rosenfeld singled to load the bases with no outs. Sullivan and Gesford each produced RBI fielder's choices to cut the deficit to 7-6. Three straight walks then forced in two runs as Barrett and Callahan each walked with the bases loaded to give Ursinus the lead.
TCNJ answered in the bottom of the inning with a run to tie the game at 8 entering the eighth. Both teams placed runners in scoring position over the next two innings, but neither could break through as the contest moved into extra innings.
In the bottom of the ninth, TCNJ loaded the bases with two outs, but first-year pitcher
Jamie O'Neill preserved the tie by striking out the only batter he faced to force extras.
In the top of the 10th, Rosenfeld and Sullivan drew walks before a Kopec single loaded the bases with no outs. Sophomore
Devin Fogg entered as a pinch hitter and fell behind 0-2 before drawing a walk on four straight balls to bring home the go-ahead run. The Lions escaped further damage as a fielder's choice, strikeout and flyout ended the inning.
O'Neill closed out the game in the bottom of the 10th, retiring the Lions in order to secure the 9-8 victory.
Ursinus returns to action on Saturday, March 7th, traveling to Camden, New Jersey, for a doubleheader against Rutgers-Camden. First pitch is scheduled for noon.
