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BLOOMSBURG – A day after using stifling pitching performances to win twice at Kutztown, the Bloomsburg University baseball team brought out the bats to complete a four-game sweep of the Golden Bears with wins of 7-6 and 11-7 on Sunday afternoon at Danny Litwhiler Field.

The victories move the Huskies to 21-13 overall and 13-5 in the PSAC East and into a first-place tie with Millersville which carved a split of a Sunday doubleheader at Shippensburg. Kutztown, meanwhile, falls to 18-15 overall and 6-12 in conference play.
 
GAME ONE – Huskies 7, Kutztown 6
The opener was a back-and-forth affair under bright sunshine at Danny Litwhiler Field. Kutztown opened the game with a 2-0 lead before Bloomsburg scored seven unanswered runs only to hold off a late rally by the Golden Bears.

After Kutztown scored twice in the first inning, Bloomsburg seized control. The Huskies tied the game with a pair of runs in the second on a RBI double from Brian Almand (Haddon Township, NJ/Paul VI) and a run-scoring single by Corey Baiada (Harleysville/LaSalle).

Bloomsburg grabbed a lead it would not relinquish with a run in the third. Brady West (Harleysville/North Penn) started the inning with a single to right center and stole second one out later. Nick Mazza (Carbondale/Carbondale) plated West with a shot to right center for the 3-2 lead.

The Huskies kept the pedal to the floor with a four-run fourth. Almand singled with one out and moved to second on a fielding error in left and would score on a Joey Casselberry (Eagleville/Methacton) single up the middle. Eric Frain (Philadelphia/Archbishop Ryan) added the exclamation point later in the inning with a two-run single to center and would cap off the lengthy inning by scoring on a wild pitch for a 7-2 advantage.

Though things seemed in hand for the hosts, Kutztown began battling back. The Golden Bears used an error, a hit batter and three hits to force three runs in to immediately work their way back into the game. Kutztown threatened for more, putting the tying run at third base before Cody Heane (McClure/Indian Valley) was summoned from the Huskies pen to put out the fire with a fly out to center.

Heane then worked around a two-out error in the seventh to lock down the win, coaxing a fly ball out with the tying run at first to end the game.

Matt Jaskolka (Warren/Warren Area) (5-1) tossed five innings of two-run ball, walking four and striking out three for his fifth win on the year. Heane was invaluable out of the 'pen with two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and no walks with a strikeout for his third save of the year.

The game ended with a runner at first when West made a spectacular diving catch in left, robbing Kutztown's Drew DeShong of a hit. 

Almand, Frain and Baiada all had two hits to power the Huskies offense which tallied 10 hits in total during the first game. Frain drove in two runs, scored and also stole a base as a catalyst out of the leadoff spot.

Brandon Shimo (4-1) was tagged with the loss after allowing seven runs in 3.2 innings for Kutztown.
 
GAME TWO – Huskies 11, Kutztown 7
Bloomsburg made early offense stick to wrap up the sweep during the nightcap.

As in game one, Kutztown had the early momentum with a pair of first inning runs.

The early offense for the Golden Bears would not lead to a lengthy edge, however. The Huskies sent 11 men to the plate in their half of the first, posting five hits and being aided by two costly Kutztown errors to score seven times. Frain led off with a perfectly placed bunt for a single and would later score on a run-scoring single from Muth. A squeeze play from Smith brought in the second tally and Casselberry brought another run in with his single deep in the hole at shortstop. West followed with a single scoring two more runs and Frain then picked up his second hit of the inning with a two-run single to right to cap the Huskies uprising.

Almand put the exclamation mark on the offensive outburst with a no-doubt three-run home run to left in the second inning for his first round-tripper of the year.

Kutztown tallied two runs in each the third and fourth innings, but could never gain much traction in their rally effort thanks to strong work out of the Bloomsburg bullpen from senior Eric Geedey (Elverson/Twin Valley). Geedey (2-0) earned the win with 3.2 innings of relief, allowing one run with four strikeouts.

Kyle Hunter (Lehighton/Lehighton) started and had six runs score against him, though only one was earned. He did not walk a batter and struck out two in 3.1 innings of work.

Frain went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI while Almand drove in four runs. West also went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored.

Brandon Cholish, Brandon Martinez and Carson Baker all had two hits apiece for Kutztown.

The Huskies will attempt to lengthen their five-game winning streak by hosting nationally-ranked Shippensburg for a Tuesday twinbill at home beginning at 1 p.m.

GAME NOTES: Bloomsburg has won three of four completed PSAC series with the sweep of Kutztown being the first four-game sweep this year, also splitting with nationally-ranked Millersville last week. The Huskies have not lost a divisional series yet this season … Muth has now reached base in 21 straight games … Frain stretched his hitting streak to seven consecutive games … the Huskies are 17-0 when leading after six innings and 7-1 at home … the Huskies finish the regular season 5-0 vs. Kutztown.