COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – An impressive offensive showing by sophomore
Luke Kopec powered the Ursinus College baseball team to a doubleheader sweep over No. 18 Gettysburg College on Saturday afternoon on Senior Day.
With the victories, Ursinus improves to 20-13 overall and 7-7 in Centennial Conference action. Meanwhile, the Bullets fall to 24-10 overall and 7-7 in conference play. The Bears, Bullets and Swarthmore College are now in a three-way tie for the final two spots in the Centennial Conference Baseball Tournament.
Kopec led the way for the Bears' offense, finishing 5-for-7 with seven RBIs and three runs scored. First-year
Brett Barrett also shined, earning three hits in the first game before collecting two hits and an RBI in Game two.
Ursinus celebrated 12 seniors prior to the doubleheader, as
Tyler Dinan,
Brett Mutz,
Kyle Rosenfeld,
George Nestor,
Shane Beaver,
Mitchell Garber,
John Hodges,
Patrick Collins,
Max Shilstone,
Barritt Ross,
Gavin Cook and
Dan Bass were recognized for their dedication and commitment to the program over the past four years.
The Bears' bullpen highlighted the doubleheader, combining to pitch 9.1 innings while allowing just five hits and one earned run across the two games. Shilstone (3-1) tossed 5.1 shutout innings in relief in Game two to preserve the victory.
Game 1: Ursinus 7, No. 18 Gettysburg 3 Gettysburg struck first, tallying three hits, including a two-out RBI single in the top of the second to grab a 1-0 lead. The Bullets added another run in the third, capitalizing on a leadoff walk before a double to right-center plated their second run.
Nine straight batters were retired for the Bears until Kopec reached with a one-out single to right in the bottom of the fourth. After advancing to third on a failed pickoff attempt, Kopec scored on a wild pitch to cut the Bears' deficit to 2-1.
Ursinus broke through in the fifth inning, scoring six runs on six hits to take a commanding 7-2 lead. Junior
Marco Maiuolo led off with a single to left before Nestor followed with a base hit. Rosenfeld delivered an RBI single to right, and junior
Brandon Sullivan was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Sophomore
Matthew Callahan added a two-run single through the left side to give Ursinus a 4-2 advantage.
Next, Kopec jumped on a 1-0 pitch blasting his fifth home run of the season, a three-run shot that extended the lead to 7-2.
Gettysburg added a run in the top of the sixth on a one-out solo home run, but the Bears' bullpen closed the door, retiring nine straight batters to secure the 7-3 victory. Sophomore
Alex Grehawick and first-year
Jamie O'Neill combined for three shutout innings in relief.
Game 2: Ursinus 8, No. 18 Gettysburg 3 The Bullets opened the scoring in the nightcap recording a sacrifice fly in the first inning. Ursinus limited further damage as Nestor threw out a runner attempting to steal second to end the frame.
In the third inning, Ursinus responded with four runs on five hits and an error to take a 4-1 lead. Sullivan sparked the rally with a leadoff walk and stolen base. Callahan followed with a single before Kopec delivered an RBI single to tie the game at 1-1. Barrett and sophomore
Isaac Gesford each added RBI singles, and Ursinus tacked on another run via a stolen base.
Gettysburg answered in the fourth with a solo home run and a bases-loaded walk to cut the deficit to 4-3. Shilstone entered with the bases loaded and two outs and induced a flyout to strand all three runners.
The Bears added three runs in the bottom of the inning to extend the lead to 7-3. After two quick outs, Rosenfeld singled and Sullivan and Callahan drew walks to load the bases. Kopec delivered again, ripping a three-run double down the left-field line.
Shilstone settled in from there, working around traffic in the fifth before retiring eight straight batters from the sixth through the eighth innings. In the ninth, with a runner on first and one out, Shilstone induced a 4-6-3 double play to complete the sweep.
The Bears return to action on Monday, April 20th, when they host No. 12 Kean University at 3 p.m. from Thomas Field.
