BALTIMORE, Md. – The Ursinus baseball team earned a doubleheader split against No. 9 Johns Hopkins, falling 6-5 in Game 1 before winning 8-3 in Game 2 on Sunday to clinch a berth in the Centennial Conference Baseball Championship tournament.
With the Game 2 victory, Ursinus secured the No. 4 seed in the tournament, marking its first appearance since a run to the championship game in 2017. The Bears close the regular season with a 22-16-1 overall record and a 9-9 mark in conference play, marking their most wins under head coach
Kyle Lindsay and the program's highest total since 2017.
In Game 1, Ursinus held a 5-3 advantage entering the seventh inning, but a three-run frame by the Blue Jays resulted in a 6-5 loss. Sophomore
Matthew Callahan and senior
Shane Beaver led the Bears' offense with two hits apiece, while sophomore
Luke Kopec added two RBIs.
In Game 2, Ursinus was led by senior pitcher
Max Shilstone, who tossed his first career complete game. He allowed four hits and three earned runs over nine innings to secure the victory.
At the plate, sophomore
Isaac Gesford went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, while first-year
Brett Barrett hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning to give Ursinus the lead. The three RBIs pushed Barrett's season total to 46, breaking Alex Mumme's single-season record of 45 set in 2019.
Game 1: No. 9 Johns Hopkins 6, Ursinus 5
The Blue Jays jumped out to an early lead, scoring twice in the first inning and once in the third to take a 3-0 advantage.
Ursinus responded in the top of the fourth with a two-out rally. Callahan singled and moved into scoring position on a walk by Kopec. Gesford followed with a single to load the bases, and first-year
Jamie O'Neill delivered an infield single to score Kopec and cut the deficit to 3-1.
Johns Hopkins threatened in the bottom half, loading the bases with two outs, but senior
Dan Bass recorded a full-count strikeout to strand all three runners.
The Bears took their first lead in the fifth, scoring three runs. Senior
George Nestor was hit by a pitch to lead off and moved into scoring position on a groundout. After a walk by junior
Brandon Sullivan and a single by Callahan loaded the bases, Kopec delivered a two-run double down the left-field line to tie the game. Gesford followed with a sacrifice fly to score Callahan and give Ursinus a 4-3 lead.
Ursinus added another run in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk by Callahan to extend the lead to 5-3. However, a three-run seventh inning by Johns Hopkins gave the Blue Jays a 6-5 advantage. The Bears put the tying run on base in the eighth but were unable to capitalize, eventually falling by one.
Game 2: Ursinus 8, No. 9 Johns Hopkins 3
Needing a win to secure a playoff berth, Ursinus turned to Shilstone marking his fourth start of the season. The Bears struck early with two runs in the first inning. Sullivan led off with an infield single and advanced to third on a double by Callahan. Kopec and Gesford followed with RBI singles to give the Bears a 2-0 lead.
Johns Hopkins responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning, using a pair of home runs to take a 3-2 lead. Shilstone settled in from there, allowing just two hits over his final eight innings of work.
He retired seven straight batters after the first inning and worked out of trouble in the fourth with back-to-back groundouts to keep the deficit at one.
Ursinus regained the lead in the fifth inning, scoring three runs. Callahan drew a leadoff walk, and after a fielder's choice and a walk to Gesford, Barrett launched a three-run home run to left-center field to make it 5-3. Barrett jumped on a 2-2 pitch, connecting on his second homerun of the season, breaking the Ursinus single season RBI record of 45.
The Bears added insurance runs in the eighth. Sullivan drove in a run with a single, and Gesford delivered a ground-rule double to extend the lead to 8-3.
Shilstone continued to dominate, recording his sixth 1-2-3 inning in the eighth. In the ninth, Johns Hopkins put the leadoff runner on via an error, but a 6-4-3 double play erased the threat. Against the Blue Jay's final batter, a fly ball to right-center was secured by sophomore
Devin Fogg to seal the win.
Ursinus returns to action Tuesday, hosting fifth-seeded Gettysburg College at Thomas Field. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
