Game 1 Box | Game 2 Box

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Ursinus got a two-hit shutout from sophomore lefty Ryan Smith in the opener and jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the nightcap to sweep a Centennial Conference (CC) doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Kirchhoff Field. The Bears scored single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings of game one on the way to a 5-0 win and fought off a Bullets' comeback to take the second game 5-4.
 
Gettysburg (10-17, 2-6 CC) junior first baseman Joe Bonyai (Torrington, CT/Hotchkiss School) went 4-for-5 and drove in two runs in the nightcap after collecting one of the Bullets' two hits in the opener. Junior left fielder Mark Campo (Arendtsville, PA/Biglerville) had the other. Sophomore Sean McGee (Mamaroneck, NJ/Mamaroneck) came off the bench in game two and went 2-for-2 with two runs scored.
 
For the Bears (11-11, 5-3 CC), freshman first baseman David Randolph was 3-for-8 with three RBI and a run scored on the day. Sophomore left fielder Brendan Evans posted identical 2-for-4, one-run, one-RBI efforts, and senior right fielder Ben Fisher was 3-for-4 in the second game.
 
In the first game, Bonyai knocked a two-out single to left field in the first, but the Bullets would not get another hit until Campo's two-out base knock in the fifth inning. In between, junior third baseman Andrew Freeburger (Baltimore, MD/Parkville) reached on an error in the second and was erased on a double play, and junior designated hitter Brian Pernice (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown) drew a two-out walk in the fourth and was stranded. Smith went the distance for Ursinus, allowing just the two hits and two walks. He struck out four and improved to 4-0 on the season with a 1.35 earned run average.
 
His teammates got all the offense he would need in the top of the third when junior shortstop Tom Herrmann beat out an infield single and stole second. He came around to score on a two-out single to center by Randolph. They would add a run in the top of the fourth on a perfectly executed suicide squeeze by Fisher that scored Evans. The Bears got another run in the fifth and two more in the seventh to pick up the victory.
 
Gettysburg freshman Christian Force (Shippensburg, PA/Berwick) also tossed a complete game, allowing five runs, only two of which were earned, on eight hits. He struck out four and did not walk a batter.
 
In the nightcap, the Bears sent 10 batters to the plate in the top of the third and broke up a scoreless tie with four runs on six hits. All six hits were singles, and three of them never left the infield. Two of the runs were unearned after a Gettysburg error prolonged the inning.
 
The Bullets answered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Freeburger drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a balk. Sophomore second baseman Matt Stillitano (Ewing, NJ/The Hun School of Princeton) drove him in with a single through the left side. Later in the inning, Bonyai hit a bases-loaded single that drove in McGee and Stillitano.
 
With Ursinus leading 4-3, the Bears picked up an insurance run in the top of the eighth when sophomore second baseman Mike Ziemak singled in Evans. Bullets' sophomore Brian Koch (Union, NJ/Roselle Catholic) came on in relief of senior Tobin Whitman (Lyme Center, NH/Hanover), who allowed five runs, three earned, in 7 1/3 innings of work. Bears' senior designated hitter Jon Sheppard greeted him with a single to right, but McGee came up firing and gunned down Ziemak, who was trying to score from second, at the plate to avoid further damage.
 
McGee then led off the bottom of the inning with a triple to deep center field and scored on an RBI groundout by junior center fielder Ben Carey (Colchester, CT/St. Bernard) to set the final score.
 
Ursinus junior Clay Miller allowed just four hits in five innings to even his record at 2-2, and freshman Zeb Engle pitched the final four frames to pick up his first career save.
 
Gettysburg returns to action on Tuesday when the Bullets take on Dickinson at Kirchhoff Field. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m.
 

Ryan Smith and Jon Sheppard; Christian Force and Brendan McDonald. WP: Smith (4-0). LP: Force (1-5). S: None. SO-BB: Smith 4-2; Force 4-0. 2B: Stephen Benavage (U). 3B: none. HR: none.
 

Clay Miller, Zeb Engle (6) and J.C. Colon; Tobin Whitman, Brian Koch (8) and Brendan McDonald. WP: Miller (2-2). LP: Whitman (2-5). S: Engle (1). SO-BB: Miller 6-4, Engle 4-2; Whitman 5-1, Koch 0-2. 2B: Brendan Evans (U). 3B: Sean McGee (G). HR: none.

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