Game 1 Box | Game 2 Box

COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Senior Mike Backus went 6-for-9 with a home run while freshman Ryan Taylor tossed a seven-hit complete game victory as the Gettysburg College baseball team closed out its Centennial Conference season with a split at Ursinus College Saturday afternoon.

The Bears won the opener 7-3 before the Bullets claimed a 5-2 victory in the nightcap.

In the first game, Gettysburg (15-19, 6-12 CC) went up 1-0 in the top of the first on back-to-back doubles from junior Cam Riera and Backus, but Ursinus (16-18-1, 6-12 CC) came back with six unanswered runs against junior starter Matt Karis. The Bullets made it 6-3 after a two-run sixth before the Bears added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning.

Backus went 3-for-4 in the opener while Riera and junior Chris Simard banged out two hits each. Karis (4-4) threw all seven innings, yielding 15 hits and one walk while striking out three.

Rich Guthridge went 3-for-4 with two home runs for Ursinus while Steve Christakos (4-3) picked up the win, tossing a 10-hit complete game.

The Bullets never trailed in the nightcap after Backus drilled a solo homer in the top of the fourth to break open a scoreless game. The Bears ended Taylor's shutout bid in the sixth with one run on two hits, but Gettysburg went ahead to stay in the seventh when senior Kevin Langhauser led off with a home run before Backus doubled and scored on a single by senior Craig Barrows to make it 3-1.

Ursinus pulled to within a run when Danny Ludwig roped a two-out RBI-double in the bottom of the seventh, but Taylor struck out the leadoff batter to get out of the jam. Sophomore Eric Williams gave the Bullets some breathing room with a two-run, pinch-hit single in the ninth, and Taylor retired seven of the last eight batters he faced.

Backus finished 3-for-5 with three runs to extend his hitting streak to 16 while Barrows continued to swing a hot bat, going 4-for-5 for the second time in three games. Langhauser collected a pair of hits.

Taylor (5-3) had a season-high nine strikeouts and walked only one while firing his third nine-inning complete game in his last four starts. The only start in which he did not go the distance during that stretch was in Gettysburg's 7-3 win over Stevenson University on Tuesday, when he was on a pitch count and threw only three innings in a no-decision.

Corey Weaver (4-3) took the loss for Ursinus.

Gettysburg closes out its season with a pair of non-conference games this week, beginning with a home date against Lebanon Valley College at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday.