COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Behind a five run fifth inning in game two, the Ursinus College baseball team earned a series split against No. 4 Johns Hopkins on Saturday afternoon.
 

The Bears dropped a 7-4 contest in game one before using a comeback victory in game two to salvage the season split. Ursinus scored five runs in the fifth inning, before junior pitcher Matt Tuley closed out the contest with three perfect innings to give the Bears their second ranked win over a top-five team this season.


With the victory in game two, the Bears have won three of the last four meetings at Thomas Field while each team has won four games over the last eight meetings. This marks the second time this season Ursinus has earned a victory over a top-five team as they defeated No. 2 Salisbury 6-3 on March 15th. 

 
Game One: No. 4 Johns Hopkins 7, Ursinus 4
 
The nationally ranked Blue Jays jumped out to an early 2-0 advantage in the first inning as they totaled two extra base hits and a single from Alex Shane. After the Bears went down in order in the first, junior left-hander T.J. settled in on the mound and fanned two batters in the second frame.
 

In the bottom of the second inning, the Bears received one-out singles from sophomore Peter Balos and senior Nick Diaz, but each runner would be stranded as back-to-back flyouts ended the frame. The Blue Jays added a run in the third and two more in the fifth to extend their advantage to five at the midway point of the contest. The Bears answered in the bottom of the fifth as sophomore Andrew Richter blasted his second homerun of the season with a two-run shot to cut the Bears deficit to three.

 
Johns Hopkins added an insurance run in the seventh as a solo homerun extended the Blue Jays lead to four. In the bottom half of the frame, Balos reached second on a defensive error and later advanced to third on a pass ball. After a strikeout, Richter added an RBI single to score Balos and cut the Bears deficit to three. The Bears would add a run in the eighth inning behind a wild pitch to allow Griffith to cross the plate, but the deficit proved to be too large as Johns Hopkins took game one 7-4.

 
On the mound, Snyder received the loss after pitching 4.1 innings and allowing three earned runs, six hits, and four base on balls. Reliever David Kratz recorded five hits allowed, two earned runs, and four walks over 4.2 innings of work. At the plate, Richter finished with a team-high two hits and three RBIs while Diaz and Balos each recorded a run scored and a base hit.

 
Game Two: Ursinus 6, No. 4 Johns Hopkins 4
 
Hopkins jumped on the scoreboard first in the opening behind a one-out homerun from Matt Cooper to left field. Sophomore left-hander Kieran Hollander got the start on the mound and after allowing a single, he settled in and recorded the final two outs to strand a runner on third base. In the bottom half of the inning, junior Will Kelley opened with a one-out single before advancing to third on singles from Nick Diaz and Tom Snipes. Ursinus would strand the bases loaded through as a fly out to center and a strikeout ended the rally.

 
Hollander started to settle in as he retired the next six batters to come to the plate, before the Blue Jays tacked on a run in the fourth to extend their advantage to two. In the top of the fifth inning, Hollander retired the Blue Jays in order behind back-to-back groundouts and a lineout to end the inning.

 
The Bears offense finally broke through in the fifth inning as four consecutive base hits started the rally and after three pitching changes Ursinus led 5-2. Senior Solomon Griffith opened the frame with a leadoff single and advanced to third after a base hit from Kelley. After Kelley advanced to second, Diaz came through with a game-tying double down the left field line to plate two runners. During the next at-bat, the Bears tallied their first lead of the day as Diaz crossed the plate on an RBI double from senior Tom Snipes. Ursinus would load the bases later as a hit by pitch resulted in a pitching change for the Blue Jays. Johns Hopkins walked in a pair of runs to extend the Bears lead to three before a strikeout ended the frame.

 
The Blue Jays cut into the Bears lead in the sixth inning as a leadoff homerun from Cooper and a two-out RBI single made it a 5-4 ballgame. The Bears responded in the sixth inning as they tacked on an insurance run after Balos came through with an RBI single up the middle to score Diaz. Ursinus would strand the bases loaded as a strikeout and fielders choice ended the threat. Tuley relieved Hollander in the seventh inning and was dominant throughout his three innings of work to close out the contest for a 6-4 victory.

 
Hollander improved his season record to 1-3 on the season after pitching six innings and scattering seven hits, four earned runs, and three strikeouts. Tuley retired nine consecutive batters over the final three innings to earn his first save of the season. At the plate, Kelley and Diaz, led the way finishing with three hits a piece while combing for three runs scored and three RBIs. For the Blue Jays, Matt Cooper led the way with a pair of homeruns and two RBI's.

 
The Bears return to action on Monday as they travel to Center Valley, Pennsylvania for a nonconference matchup against DeSales University at 5:00pm.
 
  
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