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BALTIMORE – They didn't go down without a fight.

In both of its Centennial Conference Tournament games on Saturday at Johns Hopkins University, Gettysburg trailed going into their part of the ninth inning, and twice it erased the deficit. However, it could not finish off the rally in either game, and the Bullets were eventually handed a pair of heartbreaking one-run losses, putting an end to their championship run and record-breaking season.

The second-seeded Bullets (30-13) defeated Haverford College 5-3 at home on Friday in the first round of the tournament, and Gettysburg was two outs from reaching the championship series when they led fourth-seeded Franklin & Marshall 3-1 in the top of the ninth. However, the Diplomats rallied with three runs, and after the Bullets tied it in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings, F&M pushed across the go-ahead run in the 11th.

Gettysburg then lost in the loser's bracket final to top-seeded and sixth-ranked Johns Hopkins 9-8 in one of the program's most dramatic games in recent memory.

After rallying twice earlier in the game, the Bullets trailed by two runs going into the top of the ninth. But with his team two strikes away from elimination, junior Nate Simon (Gwynedd Valley, Pa./Abington Friends School) launched a game-tying, two-run homer that tied the game at 8-8. However, just minutes later Colin McCarthy answered with a walk-off homer on the first pitch in the bottom the inning.

The Blue Jays (35-7) will now meet F&M (22-17) in the championship series starting at noon on Sunday back at Johns Hopkins. The Diplomats, coming out of the winner's bracket, would need to win just once to capture the conference title while the Blue Jays need a pair of victories.

Gettysburg concludes the year with a school-record 30 victories – two more than any Bullet baseball squad had ever won. The Orange and Blue closed the season in spectacular fashion, finishing 15-3 with its losses coming by a combined five runs.

Junior Al Posch (Hopedale, Mass./Hopedale) batted safely in both games to end the year on a 28-game hitting streak, which ties the second-longest mark in Centennial Conference history. Brian Youchak of Johns Hopkins also had a 28-game streak in 2008, and the conference record of 32 was set by Hopkins' Steve Milo overlapping the 1998 and 1999 season.

Senior Pat Cody (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge) picked up three hits on the day to push his career total to 184, which puts him in sole possession of third in school history. He also drew a pair of walks, giving him a school record of 62. In addition, Cody finishes his career sixth in school history in batting average (.384) and 10th in RBIs (83), and he ended his career by reaching base safely in his final 32 games.

Gettysburg entered the day having thrown eight straight complete games against Centennial Conference opponents, and it was business as usual for the first eight innings against F&M. Junior Drew Felsenthal (Mt. Kisco, N.Y./Horace Greeley) yielded a first-inning run, but settled in to blank the Diplomats over the next seven innings. In the fifth, he worked out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam, getting the third out on a called strike three.

The Bullets tied the game in the bottom of the first on doubles from Posch and senior Pat Cody (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge). Gettysburg then went in front in the third on a two-run double from junior Tommy LeNoir (Bear, Del./Red Lion Christian Academy) after junior Austin Davis (New York, N.Y./Riverdale Country Day) and Posch had singled.

In the top of the ninth, Rob Anderson and Aaron Gillette led off with back-to-back singles. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners up, and Will Benenson followed up with an RBI-single to make it 3-2.

Sophomore Brett Harrington (North Bennington, Vt./Mount Anthony Union) was then summoned out of the bullpen, and after a walk loaded the bases, Will Vescera singled home two runs to put the Diplomats up 4-3. Harrington, however, would get a pair of pop-ups to end the inning.

Sophomore Cory Karagjozi (Robbinsville, N.J./Robbinsville) sparked a Bullet rally in the bottom of the inning when he drew a one-out walk against reliever Chris Matthewson, and Davis followed up with a bunt single. Two batters later, Vescera, F&M's closer, moved from shortstop to the mound and was greeted with a game-tying single from LeNoir. Vescera would escape with a groundout.

In the 11th, the Diplomats put two runners aboard with one out against Harrington, prompting freshman Luke Lawrence (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) out of the bullpen. After getting a strikeout, a hit batsman loaded the bases before a wild pitch allowed the go-ahead run to score.

Posch singled with two outs in the bottom of the inning but was left at first after Vescera induced a game-ending fly-out.

Posch and LeNoir each finished 3-for-6 while LeNoir also had three RBIs. Felsenthal came away with a no-decision, yielding four runs on 10 hits and two walks over 8 1/3 innings. He struck out seven.

Harrington (1-1) was charged with the loss, allowing one run over two innings on two hits and four walks. Vescera (1-0) came away with the victory while starter Sean Cosgriff gave up three runs on 10 hits and no walks over eight innings.

After rallying late to beat Haverford 5-3 in the day's opening game, Johns Hopkins jumped to a 3-0 lead in the third inning against the Bullets and sophomore starter Eric Hungerford (New Preston, Conn./Shepaug Valley), pushing across three runs on three hits and a balk.

Gettysburg answered with single runs in the fourth and fifth, then tied it on a pinch-hit, sacrifice fly from Karagjozi in the seventh. The Blue Jays answered in the bottom of the inning, however, with two unearned runs on a hit batsman, single, passed ball, and error that made it 5-3.

The Bullets rallied for a second time, scoring three runs off three different pitchers in the eighth. LeNoir led off with a single to chase starter Carter Burns, and Cody drew a walk against reliever Thomas Harper. Two batters later and with Justin Drechsel on the mound, junior Ben Roessle (Summit, N.J./Summit) singled home LeNoir, and junior Cam MacDonald (Norwell, Mass./Norwell) capped the inning with a two-run single into shallow right, putting the Bullets up 6-5.

Johns Hopkins came back with three runs on six hits in the bottom of the eighth. However, the damage was limited by junior centerfielder Patrick O'Grady (Floral Park, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy), who threw a runner out at the plate, and Lawrence, who came in to induce an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play on his first pitch.

Zach Augustine came on to pitch the eighth for Hopkins, and he was greeted with back-to-back singles by Posch and LeNoir. But after a double play, Simon stepped up to the plate and picked an opportune time for his collegiate home run with his blast over the righfield wall that evened the score at 8-8. Augustine would get a groundout to end the inning before McCarthy's dagger.

Posch finished the game 3-for-5 while LeNoir, Cody, and Roessle all had a pair of hits.

Hungerford earned a no-decision, throwing 7 1/3 innings and giving up eight runs (six earned) on 13 hits and a walk while fanning four. Lawrence (4-4) was charged with the loss.

Augustine (2-0) would pick up the win. Burns yielded four runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks while striking out seven over seven innings.