Box Score

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Gettysburg scored six unanswered runs to end the game and the Bullets rallied for a 7-3 non-conference victory over Stevenson University Tuesday afternoon at Kirchhoff Field.

The Bullets (14-17) trailed 2-0 after the first inning and 3-1 heading into the sixth, when they scored three unearned runs to take the lead for good. Gettysburg added three insurance runs in the seventh.

Junior Matt Karis had a strong all-around game for the Bullets, going 2-for-3 with a double and a home run while throwing three innings of no-hit, no-run ball to earn the save, just second of the season for Gettysburg.

Karis split the work on the mound with freshman starter Ryan Taylor and sophomore Michael Odierna, who also worked three innings apiece. Odierna (1-1) held Stevenson to one run to pick up his first collegiate win.

Senior Mike Backus, junior Chris Simard, and senior Craig Barrows all finished 2-for-4 for Gettysburg. Backus extended his hitting streak to 13 while Simard roped a double.

Barrows also provided a pair of outstanding defensive plays at catcher. In the fifth inning, he blocked a pitch in the dirt on a swinging third strike. The runners on first and second started to break for the next base, but stopped halfway when Barrows came up with the ball. Barrows then ran straight at the lead runner, who attempted to move up to third. Both players dove headfirst into the bag, but Barrows beat the runner to record an unusual 2-unassisted caught stealing play.

Then in the eighth, a Stevenson runner reached on a throwing error that bounced off the glove of the first baseman. The runner rounded the bag, but was frozen when Barrows, backing up on the play, came up with the ball. Again, Barrows chased the runner, this time to second, before throwing to the shortstop for a 3-2-6 putout.

James Castellano pitched 6 2/3 innings and was charged with the loss for Stevenson (17-16).

The game finished up in a tidy two hours and 18 minutes.

The Mustangs used some two-out lightning to jump on top in the first. After Taylor struck out the first two batters he faced, he hit Justin Anderson with a pitch. Jeff Bihy then laced a double to left before Brandon Krochune singled a 2-2 pitch up the middle to give Stevenson its early 2-0 edge.

The Bullets put a run on the scoreboard in the second, when Karis doubled off the left-center fence and scored on a single from Barrows.

After Taylor left the game with five strikeouts, the Mustangs scored their final run when Bihy drilled an RBI single in the fifth against Odierna following Barrows first big defensive play. It was the only blemish for Odierna, who yielded two hits and two walks while striking out three.

Backus and freshman Pat Cody got things started in the pivotal sixth, leading off with back-to-back singles. Karis bunted the runners over, but Castellano induced a 5-3 groundout to a drawn-in infield to keep Backus from scoring. Barrows then bounced what appeared to be an inning-ending grounder to short, but the ball was thrown away as Backus crossed the plate. Gettysburg then executed a delayed double steal to pull even at 3-3, with Cody taking home on a wild cutoff throw from the second baseman and Barrows moving all the way to third.

Sophomore Drew Roy followed up with what held up as the game-winning RBI when he launched a double into the left-center gap.

The Bullets opened up some breathing room in the seventh, as senior Kevin Langhauser off with a single, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a sacrifice fly to center from junior Cam Riera. Two batters later, Castellano walked senior Cory Beddick, prompting a pitching change. Karis then greeted reliever Josh Brundige with a soaring two-run homer to left-center, setting the final score. It was the third home run in the last four games for Karis, who now has four for the season.

Karis was sharp over the final three frames, allowing only a walk while striking out three. Making his first relief appearance since last season, he picked up his third career save and the first since his freshman campaign.

Bihy finished 2-for-4 with a double while Krochune also had two hits. Castellano (2-3) surrendered six runs (three earned) on nine hits and a walk while striking out three.

The Bullets play the second of three games in three days when they host Catholic University on Wednesday in another non-conference outing, starting at 4 p.m.