IMMACULATA, Pa. – The Ursinus baseball team picked up a 14-7 non-conference win at Immaculata behind a massive hitting spree and a solid outing from freshman pitcher A.J. Palumbo.
Ursinus (9-6) scored runs in each of the first five innings to separate itself from the streaking Mighty Macs, who saw their eight-game winning run end.
Following a rare goose egg in the sixth, an Ursinus hit parade in the seventh ensued, allowing the Bears to score six key runs in the frame. The visitors then held off a late-game charge as the Macs (10-4) scored five combined runs in the last three innings.
The Bears banged out a season-high 18 hits and worked six walks at the plate on the day. Nearly every player that stepped up to the dish contributed toward the slugfest; Ten Bears collected a hit, while ten drove in runs and nine scored.
Sophomores Jerry Scavone and Eric Gross each finished 3-for-5 with a double and a RBI. Scavone crossed the plate three times to lead the Bears, and Gross scored twice.
Junior slugger Dom Fiorentino continued his hot stretch of hitting as he registered two hits for the fifth straight game and notched his 10th multi-hit effort of the season. Fiorentino paced Ursinus with three RBI.
The rookie Palumbo (2-1) backed up the potent offense from the hill. He worked through 6 1/3 innings, allowing four runs (two earned) and just four hits while walking six and striking out three.
Ursinus struck first in the opening frame with back-to-back two-out hits off the bats of junior Alex Mumme and freshman Jon Moldoff, whose double to right scored Mumme from first.
The Mighty Macs capitalized on an error in the bottom of the first to score their first run. A pair of base hits followed the miscue to tie the score.
The bottom of the Ursinus order worked two free passes in the second inning before freshman Dan Icaza smacked an RBI double down the right field line, ultimately chasing Immaculata's starting pitcher from the game. Icaza went 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Two more Bears came home as Fiorentino singled down the right-field line to make it 4-1.
Scavone led off the third with a single to left center. He then swiped second base before a sacrifice bunt moved him up to third with one down. Senior Carter Usowski's sacrifice fly brought Scavone home for the Bears' fifth run.
Fiorentino picked up his second hit of the contest to start the fourth. He stole second and moved up to third before sneaking home on a strikeout that required a throw to first.
Scavone walked and sophomore Tom Jacobs registered a hit to start the fifth. After a balk and wild pitch, Scavone scored. Fiorentino drove a fly ball to left, scoring sophomore Tom Jacobs for the Bears' eighth run.
Ursinus put an exclamation point on the game in the seventh, plating six more runs on eight hits to extend its lead to 13-2. Sophomore Will Peiffer doubled in Gross to fuel five consecutive hits by the Bears. Mumme singled home Icaza, and freshman pinch-hitter Tim Pyne then singled in Peiffer. Scavone doubled in Mumme and Jacobs' single scored Pyne before Gross drove in Scavone on a single.
Palumbo was pulled in the middle of the seventh. A two-RBI single by Immaculata's Cameron Delisle off sophomore reliever Drew Fowler add two earned runs to Palumbo's ledger which cut the Bears' lead to 10 runs.
Delisle doubled in three in the ninth as he drove in six of the Macs' seven runs.
The Bears kick off their Centennial Conference slate Saturday with a doubleheader at Dickinson starting at noon.