Box Score

ANNVILLE, Pa. - Darkness prevented Lebanon Valley and Ursinus from reaching a conclusion to their baseball slugfest Wednesday, with the game called at 10-10 after 10 innings at McGill Field.

In a way, it was a fitting end to a see-saw game that saw Ursinus erase an early 7-1 Dutchmen lead before taking the lead, and LVC (9-11-1) subsequently retaking the lead in the eighth before the Bears (9-5-1) tied it again in the ninth. After a scoreless 10th, the game was called on account of darkness.

It is the first tie game for LVC since a 4-4 stalemate with St. Scholastica in 1996.

LVC had two chances to win in the ninth inning. In the top of the frame, Kevin Furman appeared to have hit into a game-ending double play but second baseman Brent Ruminski bobbled the ball and never made an out, leading to the game-tying run. In the bottom of the inning, LVC loaded the bases with no outs, but pitcher Jason Mullins worked out of the jam to avoid the winning run.

Lebanon Valley blew the game open in the third with seven runs, including two-run singles by Derek Helwig and Bert Malloy .

Ursinus answered with four runs in the fourth, including Chris Fusco's two-run single. Starter Brian Miller left the game in the inning with the lead, and Pete Moro got out of the inning with two runners on.

Ursinus continued to chip away at the lead, making it 7-6 with a run in the sixth, but Colt Zarilla's RBI single in the sixth made it 8-6 LVC before Ursinus took the lead with a three-run seventh.

The see-saw continued with a two-run eighth by the Dutchmen as Ruminski scored on a wild pitch and Helwig scored Grant Wiest to take the lead.

Unfortunately, Nate Blough couldn't hold the lead in the ninth. After the error on Ruminski loaded the bases, Ryan Schmidt hit a sacrifice fly to right to score the tying run. In the bottom of the ninth, LVC loaded the bases with no outs, but the Ursinus defense stepped up, getting Malloy and Brandon Stoothoff on force-outs at home and ending the inning by getting Wiest at second.

Dustin Deibert threw a perfect 10th for LVC, and the Duitchmen put the winning run on the second in the bottom of the inning, but Deibert lined out and Malloy flied out to center to end the inning as darkness began to fall.

LVC will be home again Friday to host Messiah in their Commonwealth Conference opener.