COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – After 40 runs and four hours of play, the Ursinus College baseball team tied Penn State Brandywine, 20-20, on Wednesday evening at Thomas Field.
The tie marks only the third for Ursinus in the last 16 years, with the previous coming on April 10, 2018, against Franklin & Marshall in a 14-inning contest that ended 6-6. The Bears (21-14-1) scored in seven of nine innings, totaling 23 hits, while the Nittany Lions (14-16-1) tallied 16 hits and scored 13 of their 20 runs in the first four innings.
Senior
Shane Beaver led the Bears offense, finishing 4-for-5 with five runs scored, while first-year
Brett Barrett added four hits and three RBIs. Senior
Mitchell Garber recorded two hits and a team-high five RBIs with sophomore
Devin Fogg contributing three hits and three RBIs.
The Bears fell behind early, facing a 13-4 deficit through the first four innings. Trailing 5-0 in the second, Beaver sparked the Ursinus comeback with his second home run of the season to right-center, trimming the deficit to 5-1. After a six-run third by Brandywine, Barrett and first-year
Nolan Carroll delivered RBI base hits to make the score 11-3.
The Nittany Lions increased their advantage to 13-3 in the fourth before Sullivan drove in senior
Patrick Collins with a sacrifice fly. A 6-4-3 double play ended the Bears threat, stranding two runners.
After Penn State Brandywine added two runs in the sixth, Ursinus responded with four runs to cut the deficit to 15-8. Beaver led off the inning with a double, and Fogg and sophomore
John DiLello drew walks to load the bases with one out. Senior
Tyler Dinan earned an RBI on a walk, while RBI singles by Barrett and Garber trimmed the deficit to seven.
The Nittany Lions answered with two runs in the seventh, but Ursinus countered with six runs on four hits to pull within 17-14. Fogg and Garber each delivered RBI doubles, with Garber's extra-base hit driving in three runs.
Senior JD Hodges retired the Nittany Lions in order in the eighth with two strikeouts, sending the Bears to the plate trailing by three. Beaver led off with a walk, and a single by first-year
Ryder Tootell brought the tying run to the plate. Fogg laid down a bunt single, and an errant throw up the right-field line allowed two runs to score, making it 17-16.
DiLello followed with a single, and Dinan reached on an error to put two runners on with one out. Barrett then lifted a fly ball to right, and a misplayed throw into third allowed DiLello to score and tie the game at 17-17.
The Nittany Lions responded with three runs in the ninth, capitalizing on a Bears error to take a 20-17 lead into the bottom of the inning. A defensive miscue allowed Beaver to reach to lead off, and a walk by Tootell and a single by Fogg loaded the bases with no outs. Fogg and DiLello followed with RBI singles to cut the deficit to one.
Barrett then recorded his fourth hit of the game to score Fogg and tie it at 20-20. However with the bases loaded, a fielder's choice and consecutive infield popups ended the game in a tie.
Ursinus returns to action Friday, hosting Muhlenberg College in a Centennial Conference matchup at 3 p.m. The Bears will then travel to No. 9 Johns Hopkins for a doubleheader on Saturday.
