The Muhlenberg men’s lacrosse team gave ninth-ranked Gettysburg a scare, but ended up getting defeated in its Centennial Conference opener, 13-7.

Unlike the games between the teams in the last two seasons in which the Bullets (5-2, 2-0) won both by a 16-3 score, the Mules (5-2, 0-1) kept this one close.

The Mules only trailed by two, 7-5, at halftime. They closed the gap to one on a score by sophomore Sean Toohill early in the third period, but Gettysburg responded with six of the final seven goals to close out the game.

Muhlenberg played Gettysburg almost even in the first half, and took a one-goal lead early. Trailing 1-0, sophomore Kyle Hart and freshman Kyle Farris each tallied goals in 44 seconds less than three minutes into the game to give the Mules a 2-1 advantage.

After the Bullets scored the final five goals of the first period, the Mules came charging back again in the second. Muhlenberg recorded three of the four goals that were scored in period, including one by Farris with 3:13 left to get the Mules to within one.

Sophomore Gavin Crescenzo was outstanding in goal, making 15 saves. Farris finished with a hat trick.

Muhlenberg had its four-game home winning streak snapped.

Click here for box score.

Hart’s hit ended a spectacular pitchers’ duel between Mule senior Gregg Burkhart and Garnet senior Jared Leiderman, who both entered the game ranked in the top 10 in the CC in strikeouts. The two combined to fan 19 and allow only nine hits and two earned runs in 17 2/3 innings.

Burkhart was one strike away from a complete-game two-hit shutout when he hit a Swarthmore (2-9, 0-1) player with a pitch. The next two batters

Tobia (second from right) gets congratulated after scoring the winning run.

doubled and singled to tie the game and stun the Mules (9-3, 1-0), who had led since the second inning.

Tobia led off the bottom of the 10th by reaching second when his routine ground ball to shortstop was thrown away. Hart then came up and fell into a quick 0-2 hole before fouling off three straight pitches against Leiderman, who had already struck out 11. The count was 2-2 when Hart lined a single into the right-center gap, easily plating Tobia.

“I went up there trying to pull the ball to the right side to move [Tobia] over,” said Hart. “I was seeing the ball pretty well that at-bat. I was very focused because I wanted to get the job done.”

Tobia and Hart combined for Muhlenberg’s first two runs. Tobia led off the second with a ground single up the middle and came all the way around to score when Hart’s sacrifice bunt was thrown away. Hart reached third on the play and scored on a wild pitch.

The Mules, who came in averaging a CC-leading 11.3 runs per game, were held to a season-low five hits but managed the win thanks to Burkhart’s stellar pitching. His eight strikeouts gave him 183 for his career, two short of the school record.

“He was amazing,” said Hart of his starting pitcher. “The bats weren’t alive like they have been the whole season. He went out there and did what he had to do.”

Senior Aaron Regensburg relieved Burkhart in the ninth and retired the side in the 10th to earn his 14th career win.

The win was the fifth in a row for the Mules, who are 9-3 after 12 games for the first time since 1969.

Click here for box score.