Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 HTML Box Score Game One / HTML Box Score Game Two

WEST CHESTER—The Bloomsburg University baseball team dropped a pair of 1-0 games to West Chester, the defending NCAA Division II champions, on Friday in the opener of the PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) Easter Division play.
 
Game one was an old-fashioned pitching duel between the Huskies Bryan Morris (Bethlehem/Bethlehem Catholic) and the Golden Rams Joe Gunkel. Both pitchers were putting zeroes on the scoreboard for the first five and a half innings.
 
West Chester finally broke through the bottom of the sixth Mike Raimo led off with a single. After being sacrificed to second, Raimo advanced to third on a throwing error before scoring on a double by Justin Lamborn. Morris got out of further trouble by getting the a strike out to end the inning.
 
Bloomsbhurg did threaten in the top of the seventh when Brian Almand (Haddon Township, NJ/Paul VI) doubled with two outs, but Gunkel got a fly out to center to end the game. The Huskies also had a scoring chance in the second inning. With two outs A.J. Stump (Reading/Antietam) singled and Almand doubled to left field putting runners at second and third. But Gunkel worked out of the game by getting a ground out to shortstop.

The Huskies also had two runners on in the fifth. Again with two outs, Tim Kurucz (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) and Aaron Russell (Montoursville/Montoursville) had back-to-back singles, but Gunkel got a fly out to end the threat.
 
Morris allowed just four hits, fanned three and did not walk a batter in taking the hard-luck loss. Gunkel gave up five hits, did not walk a batter and fanned two to get the win.

Game two also turned into a pitcher's duel between Bloomsburg sophomore Jared Schaffer (Perkasie/Pennridge) and West Chester's Fred Breidenbach. Both pitchers made their counterparts from game one in putting goose-eggs on the scoreboard.

It wasn't until the fourth inning that West Chester finally broke through. Lamborn reached on a bunt single to lead off the bottom of the inning and moved to second on a bunt. Lamborn then stole third and scored on a wild pitch.

Schaffer allowed just four hits and the one run and struck out two, while not allowing a walk. Breidenbach also allowed four hits and walked two, while striking out four, but was aided by two double plays.

The Huskies are 4-12, 0-2 in the PSAC East, while West Chester is now 10-8-1, 2-0 in the PSAC East. The team's will meet again on Saturday at West Chester starting at 1 p.m. The game's were originally scheduled for Bloomsburg, but the Huskies field is not yet ready for play.