SU Baseball Splits with Ursinus
FORT PIERCE, Fla. – The Susquehanna University baseball
team split a double header with Ursinus College, 4-3, 4-5, on
Monday.
SU (1-3) trailed Ursinus (1-4), 2-1, going into the bottom of the
fifth in Game 1 and strung together three runs to prevail in the
opener. Game 2 was a back and forth battle for all seven innings,
as eight of the nine total runs were scored between the third and
sixth innings for both teams before Ursinus plated the gamewinning
run in its final at bat.
In Game 1, sophomore Brian Wendig (West Chester,
Pa./Malvern Prep) tossed a complete game and struck out
seven batters to give SU its first win of the season. Wendig
scattered 10 hits and did not walk a batter.
In the fifth inning of Game 1, the Crusaders put together four
hits, highlighted by a two-RBI single by senior infielder
Justin Portzline (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove
Area). Portzline went 2-for-3 in the opener with two
singles.
SU’s senior infielder Geoff Hunter (Sugarloaf,
Pa./Hazleton Area) went 3-for-3 in Game 1 with a double
and a run scored.
The other three hits in the game were tallied by sophomore
outfielder Corey Stirmer (Fulton, Md./Atholton),
freshman outfield Dan Wing and freshman
catcher Stephen Tamayo (South Orange, N.J.).
Stirmer and Tamayo were 1-for-3 , while Wing went 1-for-2 at the
plate with a run and RBI. Stirmer also scored a run.
Sophomore outfielder Ken Kayama (Koto-Ku,
Japan/Solesbury) was 0-for-2 but was hit by a pitch and
scored once.
Junior Matt Lottes (Muttontown, N.Y./Long Island
Lutheran) started Game 2 and pitched 3.1 innings. Lottes
gave up four hits, one earned run and struck out a batter.
Sophomore Matt Roe (Freehold, N.J./St. John
Vianney) was the first reliever out of the bullpen and
went 1.1 innings and allowed two hits, two earned runs and also
punched out one hitter before giving way to junior Jordan
Thomas (Westminster, Md./Westminster HS). Thomas also
pitched 1.1 innings and surrendered a hit and a run. The final
reliever was senior Andy Hergan (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central
Columbia), who suffered the loss in 2/3 of an inning.
Hergan struck out one and allowed an unearned run.
Crusaders freshman outfield Alex Miskovsky (Manchester
Center, Vt.) went 1-for-2 with two runs scored.
Portzline had a 1-for-3 nightcap with a run scored, while junior
infielder Ethan Rieker (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim
Twp.) had a double in two at bats and a RBI.
Junior Calvin Hug (West Chester, Pa./Unionville)
had a 1-for-3 Game 2 with a RBI, while sophomore Pat Jennings
(Essex Falls, N.J./West Essex) had a single in his long at bat with
a game-tying RBI in the sixth.
Freshman outfielder Ben Anderson (Mechanicsburg,
Pa.) gave SU the lead with a sacrifice fly later in that
inning before the Bears tied the ball game at 4 in the bottom half
of the sixth.
In Game 2, SU fell behind, 4-0, in the top of the fourth but
answered back with its only two runs of the game in the bottom half
of the inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, Ursinus got its leadoff batter on
base by way of a single then stole second to set up the gamewinning
run.
With the runner on second and one out, a pinch hitter put the ball
into the left center gap, which was caught by a diving effort by
Anderson, but an errant throw into the infield got away and allowed
the runner to score to end the game.
Next Games: Wednesday, March 9, vs. La Roche (double header), 10
a.m.
