LANCASTER, Pa. – Behind a fast start and stellar pitching performances from seniors Max Shilstone and Dan Bass, the Ursinus baseball team earned an 8-6 road victory over Franklin & Marshall on Tuesday afternoon at Caplan Field.
 
With the victory, Ursinus improves to 17-9 overall and 4-3 in Centennial Conference action. Meanwhile, the Diplomats fall to 16-10 overall and 3-4 in conference play.
 
On the mound, Shilstone earned the victory, improving to 2-0 on the season after pitching five innings, allowing two hits and four earned runs. Bass entered with the bases loaded in the sixth inning and pitched four shutout innings, recording four strikeouts, and earned his first career save.
 
Junior Brandon Sullivan led the Bears offense, finishing 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored. Junior Matthew Callahan added two hits and three runs scored, while sophomore Luke Kopec went 2-for-5 with three RBIs.
 
The Bears broke through in the top of the first inning, scoring four runs on four hits and two walks to take an early lead. Callahan led off with a walk before moving into scoring position on a bunt single by Sullivan. Kopec then doubled down the right-field line on a full-count pitch, scoring Callahan and moving Sullivan to third with no outs. Senior Shane Beaver and first-year Brett Barrett followed with RBI singles to give Ursinus a 3-0 advantage. After a pitching change and a sacrifice bunt, senior Mitchell Garber added an RBI groundout to score Beaver and extend the lead to 4-0.
 
Shilstone, making the first start of his career, worked around a one-out double in the first inning by recording a strikeout and a flyout to strand the runner. Ursinus extended its lead in the second inning as Callahan and Sullivan recorded consecutive hits, and Barrett added a sacrifice fly to make it 5-0.
 
Shilstone cruised through the second inning before working around a pair of defensive errors in the third to strand a runner in scoring position. The Bears added another run in the fourth inning on a fielder's choice by Beaver to push the lead to 6-0.
 
Franklin & Marshall put a runner on via a hit-by-pitch in the fourth, but Shilstone induced a pop out and a flyout to complete his fourth scoreless inning. Ursinus extended its lead to 8-0 in the fifth, capitalizing on one hit and three walks.
 
Senior Patrick Collins led off the inning with a hit-by-pitch and advanced to second on a wild pitch. With two outs, Callahan reached on an infield error before Sullivan was hit by a pitch to load the bases, prompting a pitching change. Kopec followed with a two-run single to right field, scoring Callahan and Collins to give Ursinus an eight-run lead.
 
Shilstone worked around a one-out error in the fifth, inducing back-to-back groundouts to maintain the lead. However, the Diplomats responded with six runs in the bottom of the sixth on three hits and five free passes to cut the deficit to 8-6. With the bases loaded and no outs, Ursinus turned to Bass out of the bullpen. He induced a 4-6-3 double play before a groundout ended the rally and preserved the two-run lead.
 
In the seventh, Franklin & Marshall opened with consecutive hits before a sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position with one out. Bass stranded the tying run at second, collecting back-to-back strikeouts to keep Ursinus ahead 8-6.
 
Bass worked around a one-out walk in the eighth and retired the side in order in the ninth to secure his first career save and the 8-6 victory for Ursinus.
 
The Bears will conclude the season series against the Diplomats on Friday, hosting Franklin & Marshall at Thomas Field. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.