LEESBURG, Fla. – The Ursinus College baseball team continued its early 'Cardiac Kids' theme with two more one-run games in Florida on Monday, this time settling for a split when New Jersey City scored twice in the bottom of the seventh for a 6-5 final in Game 2.
The Bears, who posted a 4-3 victory in the opener after 2-1 and 4-3 triumphs against Eastern Mennonite on Sunday, were shooting for their first 4-0 start since 1981. Had it held on to a 5-4 lead in the afternoon session, Ursinus would have made some unusual history – it would have been the first time ever that the program opened the season with four straight one-run victories. Still, the Bears (3-1) registered one-run wins in each of their first three contests for the first time since the 1981 campaign.
Sophomore Carter Usowski finished 5-for-6 with two doubles on the day, while junior Matt Radwanski earned his first career victory with a stellar outing in the opener.
Game 1: Ursinus 4, New Jersey City 3
The Bears made it three consecutive one-run victories by taking advantage of their four hits and fending off a last-ditch rally by the Gothic Knights, who scored twice in the top of the seventh and had the tying run on third base with just one out. But senior Connor McCarthy buckled down to strike out the next batter on a 3-2 pitch and got Jeff Reinecke – who had hits in each of his first three at-bats – to pop out to Usowski at shortstop for the final out.
McCarthy's first career save made a winner out of Radwanski, who picked up his first career victory with a dominant outing. The right-hander worked into the sixth inning, allowing four hits and one unearned run and striking out seven.
Behind Radwanski's sensational performance, the Bears managed to gradually build a lead with single runs in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. Ursinus got on the board when freshman Dom Fiorentino dropped a fly ball into left field to score senior Kieran Geyer with the game's first run. Geyer's well-executed squeeze bunt in the next inning doubled the advantage, and senior Jay Farrell produced a sacrifice fly in the fifth after a one-out double by freshman Alex Mumme.
After Reinecke's RBI single broke up Radwanski's shutout in the sixth, the Bears responded with another run in the bottom half. Senior CJ Diana was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, then stole second and took third when senior Vincent Terry struck out on a wild pitch that allowed him to reach first base safely. Geyer then placed a looper into right field to plate Diana with what proved to be the winning run.
New Jersey City cut the deficit to 4-2 on Nick Ruscingno's RBI single and had the bases loaded with nobody out before McCarthy wriggled out of the jam, inducing a sacrifice fly before retiring the next two batters to preserve the Bears' unbeaten start.
Geyer finished 1-for-1 with two RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base for Ursinus. Usowski was 2-for-3, and Diana scored twice and stole a career-high three bases.
Game 2: New Jersey City 6, Ursinus 5
Ursinus jumped right on top of the Gotchic Knights, capitalizing on a two-out error that kept the first inning alive. Mumme made New Jersey City pay by smacking a two-run double to left that scored Farrell and senior Alex Campbell, who had reached on the miscue. Diana extended the damage with an RBI single through the left side, but the Gothic Knights put up a four-run frame of their own to take the lead.
Thanks to sophomore Matt Rapp, who came in to throw 3.1 hitless innings of relief, the score stayed 4-3 until the sixth inning. Senior Greg Petorak singled to begin the frame and moved to second on Diana's sacrifice before Geyer's base hit up the middle brought him around with the tying run. Usowski snuck a hit through the left side, his third base knock of the afternoon after doubling in his first two appearances, to put men on the corners for junior Travis Kozak, who brought home Geyer with the go-ahead run on another successful squeeze.
The Bears took another one-run lead into the seventh, but this time were unable to hold off a late New Jersey City rally. Following a 1-2-3 sixth, McCarthy came back out with a chance to grab a second save, but was foiled when the Gothic Knights put men on second and third with nobody out. A fielding error allowed the tying run to score and forced an intentional walk to load the bases, and Joe Coutinho drew a walk-off walk to hand Ursinus its first loss.
Usowski finished 3-for-3 in the nightcap, and Rapp struck out three with two walks in a terrific appearance out of the bullpen. Sophomore Mar LeDuc gave up four runs in 1.2 innings in his first collegiate start.
Anthony Carfora worked all seven innings for NJCU, allowing two earned runs on 10 hits with five strikeouts and a walk.
Up Next
The Bears challenge Penn State-Altoona in a doubleheader on Tuesday, March 7.