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BLOOMSBURG – The Bloomsburg University baseball team racked up 11 hits and used a complete game effort on the mound from redshirt freshman right-hander Ryuta Amaike (Whitehall/Whitehall) to score a 9-2 game one victory vs. No. 21 Millersville and rallied late before falling, 4-2, in an eight-inning heartbreaker to earn a doubleheader split at a cold and windswept Danny Litwhiler Field Saturday.

Saturday's games, the first half of a four-game set with the nationally-ranked Marauders, move Bloomsburg to 15-11 overall as well as 8-4 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division standings while Millersville stands 20-9, 7-3.

GAME ONE – Huskies 9, Millersville 2
Bloomsburg handed Millersville its worst defeat in PSAC East play since 2011 in the opener behind timely offense and strong pitching from Amaike.

Millersville controlled things early, scoring two runs with two outs in the first inning. After Amaike retired the first two batters of the game, the Marauders strung together three straight hits including an RBI double from Dan Johnson and run-scoring single by Alex Ramsay for the 2-0 lead.

The Huskies got a run back in the second on Brady West (Harleysville/North Penn)'s RBI base knock to left field, scoring Brad Smith (Morgantown/Twin Valley) who doubled to lead off the inning. Bloomsburg tied the score with another run in the third when Damin Muth (Breinigsville/Parkland) brought Nick Mazza (Carbondale/Carbondale) home with his RBI single to left.

Mazza broke the deadlock in the fourth. After Tim Kurucz (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) singled through the left side and Eric Frain (Philadelphia/Archbishop Ryan) walked to put runners at first and second with two outs, Mazza delivered with a double to right center to clear the base paths for a 4-2 advantage.

Bloomsburg never looked back from that point as Amaike had worked into a groove on the hill. Millersville did not advance a runner past second base after the first inning while the Huskies continued adding up offense. Tim Ravel (Sinking Spring/Wilson) and Brian Almand (Haddon Township, NJ/Paul VI) both tallied RBI singles in the fifth and the Huskies added three more runs in the sixth for extra insurance.

Amaike (1-0), who was making his first career start, made it a day to remember by also marking two other firsts by scoring his first victory and complete game. He scattered seven hits while walking two and striking out two.

Millersville ace Chris Murphy (6-2) wasn't as fortunate – the starting right hander had allowed only 10 earned runs over his first seven starts and led the PSAC in ERA entering the day, but was tagged for six runs on eight hits by the Huskies in 4.1 innings of work Saturday.

Muth powered the Huskies' attack with three hits and two runs scored while Mazza also tallied a pair of hits while eight Bloomsburg players recorded hits in the game.
 
GAME TWO – Millersville 4, Bloomsburg 2 (8 innings)
Bloomsburg fought back from a late inning deficit to force extra innings in the second game, but its bid for a doubleheader sweep fell short as the Marauders scored twice in the eighth for the victory.

Millersville again led early, taking advantage of a walk and a double to score the game's first run in the opening inning on an RBI ground out from Johnson.

Muth evened the score to lead off the second when he muscled a home run just over the right field fence for his first collegiate round-tripper and 18th RBI of the season.

The Marauders inched ahead in the third with some two out damage. After the first two batters of the inning were retired, Tyler Orris fought a pitch off his hands to drop a double down the right field line and would score on Zach Stone's hit up the middle for a 2-1 lead.

From there, the game's starting pitchers matched each other step for step in masterful performances. For Millersville, Brandon Miller was outstanding – Muth's home run was the only hit he allowed over the first five innings as he retired 15 straight batters at one point before Mazza finally ended the drought with his single through the right side in the sixth.

Bloomsburg's Tyler Hill (Lehighton/Lehighton) was impressive as well, settling into a groove while posting four consecutive scoreless innings.

It appeared as though Stone's RBI single might stand up, but the Huskies battled back in the last of the seventh. Muth worked a walk to lead off and was lifted for pinch runner Pete Edgar (Hatfield/North Penn). Smith sacrificed Edgar to second and he would score on Ravel's hit through the left side for the tie. Ravel was tossed out at second on the play and the teams headed for extra innings.

After Hill retired the first batter of the eighth, Orris reached on an infield single and moved to second on another single by Stone. The runners moved up on a balk and Johnson then dumped a single in front of a diving Mazza in right field to break the tie. Millersville added an insurance run on a safety squeeze play played out perfectly by Alex Ramsay who bunted past the mound for an RBI single.

Adam Zipko (2-0) worked a perfect bottom half of the inning to lock down the win.

Hill (4-2) was tagged with a tough-luck loss, allowing four runs on six hits over 7.1 innings. He struck out seven and walked only one. Miller finished with a no-decision after lasting 5.2 innings, surrendering just two hits and one walk while striking out two.

Stone went 3-for-4 to pace the Marauders.

The two teams meet again Sunday afternoon in Millersville with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.