The Muhlenberg baseball team split its Centennial Conference opener against nationally ranked Gettysburg, coming from behind to win the nightcap, 8-5.

The Bullets (22-2, 1-1) came into the game ranked 15th by D3baseball.com and 22nd by the American Baseball Coaches Association.

The Mules (11-10, 1-1) trailed 5-3 at the seventh-inning stretch in the second game before freshman Sean Habeeb began the winning rally by beating out a slow roller to third for an infield hit.

After sophomore Marc Quarrie singled with two outs, sophomore Spencer Hobson blooped a ball into shallow right field. The Gettysburg second baseman attempted to make a diving catch near the line, but could not control the ball, and both runners scored to tie the game.

The next batter, senior Brendan Hughes, untied the game with a two-run homer.

Freshman Mike Carcich knocked in an insurance run two batters later with his first career hit. 

Senior Ethan Brochin preserved the lead in the final two innings, allowing the leadoff runner to reach base in both but inducing a double play in the eighth and retiring the top three hitters in the Gettysburg lineup in the ninth. 

Hughes went 4-for-5, adding a triple to his home run. Hobson and Habeeb also hit triples, and Quarrie blasted his eighth home run of the season in the first inning.

Muhlenberg jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the opening game, with Hughes driving in a first-inning run with a double - the hit that he missed the cycle by in the second game. 

Gettysburg tied it in the third, then scored at least five runs in four straight innings to win, 26-1.

pictured above: freshman Thomas Rorick