GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Freshman Matthew Muir (South Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames) laced a one-out single up the middle to score the final two runs and cap a dramatic 10-9 victory in the opening game of Gettysburg College's doubleheader with Ursinus College Saturday afternoon at Kirchhoff Field. The Bears held on in the nightcap for an 11-8 decision to earn a split.
 
Gettysburg (14-14, 3-7 CC) was holding its annual Take ALS Yard Day, which supports Project ALS and its mission to find a cure for the disease more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. In between the two games, Head Coach John Campo informed the crowd that the Bullets have raised more than $70,000 since the campaign began in 2013. Gettysburg started the fundraising effort to support Tommy Kirchhoff, who was diagnosed with ALS and was the son of Bill '63 and Jean Kirchhoff '64, for whom the Bullets' home field is named. Both were on hand for the event and to witness the team's dramatic game one victory.
 
Ursinus (14-13, 4-6 CC) looked like it was firmly in control of the opener with left-hander Will Peiffer cruising through the first seven innings with only one run allowed and seven strikeouts. The Bears spotted their starter a 5-1 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth inning.
 
Gettysburg chased Peiffer off the field with back-to-back singles by junior Ryan LaCoe (Hershey, Pa./Hershey) and sophomore Sean Murphy (Westfield, Mass./Westfield) to start the eighth inning. Both would come around to score as the Bullets racked up seven hits in the inning, including four consecutive singles by sophomore Eric Raio (West Caldwell, N.J./Seton Hall Prep), freshman Mark Seibert (Yardley, Pa./Holy Ghost Prep), Muir, and junior Joe Giovinco (Stirling, N.J./Seton Hall Prep) to put the team ahead 6-5. A sacrifice fly by Andrew Decker (Baltimore, Md./Towson) and a double by LaCoe to right-center pushed the lead to 8-5.
 
The Bears rallied in the top of the ninth, scoring their first run of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Tom Jacobs and tying the game on a two-run single by Alex Mumme. Dom Fiorentino scored on a throwing error from the outfield to put Ursinus back in front 9-8.
 
The back-half of Gettysburg's lineup came through in the clutch. Sophomore Matt Szczesny (Schwenksville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) singled down the left-field line to start the final inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice. Raio drew a walk and Seibert was hit on the elbow to load the bases with one out.
 
Muir didn't waste any time at the plate, smacking the first pitch from Matt Bull back up the middle. Szczesny scored easily from third and Raio raced in from second, sliding feet first into home as Fiorentino's throw sailed wide of home plate.
 
Muir finished 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI. Murphy set a new personal high with four hits in the opening game, while LaCoe finished 2-for-5 with two runs and one RBI. Raio, Seibert, and Szczesny all posted a pair of hits.
 
Senior Sam Dobbins (West Hartford, Conn./Hall) earned the win after getting one out in the ninth inning.
 
Ursinus pounded out 22 hits on the way to the win in game two. Fiorentino led off the game with an infield single and came around to score the first of three runs in the first inning. The centerfielder then blasted a ball over the right-field fence to give the Bears a 4-1 lead in the second inning.
 
The visitors made it a 7-2 lead before the Bullets once again rallied in the fifth inning. Decker tripled to lead off the frame and scored on a single by LaCoe. LaCoe didn't have to wait long on the bases as Murphy decked his second home run of the season out to left-center to slice the deficit to 7-5. Gettysburg's final two runs came with two outs as Szczesny brought in both with a pinch-hit double to left-center to tie the game.
 
Ursinus broke the tie in its next at bat with a sacrifice fly by Mumme. Jacobs brought home another run with a single up the middle, but the Bullets gunned down the second runner trying to score at home plate to close the inning.
 
The Bears padded the lead with two more runs in the eighth to jump ahead 11-7.
 
Murphy attempted to stir some more two-out magic with a single in the ninth inning. The Bullets loaded the bases and junior Ryan Augustus (Freehold, N.J./Princeton Day School) drew a walk to plate a run. Ursinus' third pitcher of the inning, Ryan Schwab, eventually shut the door, getting Raio to swing through strike three for the final out.
 
Murphy went 3-for-5 with two runs and three RBI. Augustus went 3-for-4 with all of his hits coming on the first pitch he saw in each at bat. Decker posted a pair of hits.
 
Eric Gross went 4-for-5 with two RBI and Tom Jacobs went 3-for-5 with three RBI for Ursinus in game two.
 
Gettysburg meets Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.