ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Ursinus College baseball team racked up a season-high 15 hits but needed a few more to keep pace with Muhlenberg, which went batty against Bear pitching for the second time in three days and wound up on the top side of a 13-11 Centennial Conference shootout.
With snow expected to hit the region on Saturday, the teams made sure their bats stayed hot, trading punches until the Mules finally knocked out the Bears with a four-run seventh, the fifth and final lead change on a wild afternoon in Allentown. Less than 48 hours removed from a 14-4 rout, Muhlenberg (11-11, 2-0) completed the season sweep with a 15-hit effort that continued a series that has been no stranger to high-scoring antics of late.
Friday's fireworks display featured the most combined runs in a CC game for Ursinus since a 14-11 loss on the same field three years ago. The Bears' 11 runs were their most in a conference contest since scoring 14 against the Mules two years ago, and one of these teams has scored double-digit runs in nine of their last 14 meetings.
Feuerman hit his team-leading third homer of the year, the fifth of his career, and drove in three runs for the Bears (15-10, 1-3), who saw five players record multiple hits. That group included juniors Alex Campbell (2-for-5, two runs, two RBI), Tyler Strano (2-for-3), and Austin Kurey (2-for-5, run) in addition to senior Chris Jablonski (2-for-5, two runs, RBI) and sophomore Travis Kozak (2-for-4, two runs). Kurey and Jablonski had doubles and Kozak notched his first career triple, while junior Kieran Geyer produced a two-run double.
Ursinus looked to have broken it open in the sixth, when the Bears scored four times to seize an 8-3 lead. Feuerman's pinch-hit sacrifice fly started the spurt, and junior CJ Diana continued it when he was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Geyer's two-run double with two outs polished off the frame.
But the Mules had plenty of kick left, braying back with six runs in the bottom half to storm out in front, 9-8. The Bears had their answer ready, Campbell knotting the score on a two-out knock to right field. That set the stage for Feuerman, who sent a shot over the fence in left-center to put the visitors back on top, 11-9.
The pendulum swung again in the bottom of the frame, as a beanball, double, and single cut the Ursinus lead to one and put men on the corners with no outs. After a lineout, three consecutive singles handed the advantage back to the Mules, who picked up an insurance tally on a fielder's choice that made it 13-11.
The two teams combined to score 17 runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
The Bears put runners on the corners with one out in the eighth, but were unable to capitalize and went down in order in the ninth.
Chris Grillo went 4-for-6 and scored four runs at the top of the Mule lineup, while John Icaza, Andrew Rava, Robbie Hopes, and Matt Riebesell all had two hits and two RBI.
Just like they did on Wednesday, the Bears struck for a first-inning run. Kozak's one-out triple set up an RBI double by Jablonski, staking the visitors to a quick 1-0 lead.
But just like in the first meeting, the Mules came right back, notching a pair of unearned runs after Ursinus committed a two-out error to keep the inning alive.
A run-scoring single by junior Jay Farrell and a fielder's choice grounder off the bat of Campbell delivered the lead back to the Bears in the third, and they added to it in the fourth with junior Vincent Terry's RBI knock through the left side. Muhlenberg halved the deficit in the fifth before Ursinus' four-run sixth precipitated the seesaw finish.
Junior pitcher Seth Regensburg struck out 10 for his third outing with at least double-digit punch-outs this season, but the left-hander surrendered eight runs (six earned) before being replaced in the sixth. The Mules were not kind to the Bears' relievers, putting up five more runs on nine hits.
The Bears look to rebound in a Centennial Conference doubleheader against Washington College on Sunday.