HTML BOX SCOREWILLIAMSTON, N.C. – Senior
Ryan Kirman (Little Silver, N.J./Red Bank Regional) belted two home runs and drove in four but it wasn't quite enough as the Bloomsburg University baseball team dropped an 8-7 decision to Pitt-Johnstown on Sunday morning at Riverside High School. The Huskies return to Bloomsburg with a 1-2 record on their opening weekend while the Mountain Cats improved to 2-3 on the young season.
The multi-homer game was the first of Kirman's collegiate career. The shortstop hit just one home run in 75 at bats in his first season with the Huskies a year ago. Prior to that, Kirman had one round tripper in 139 at bats at Brookdale Community College.
Bloomsburg trailed 6-0 heading to the bottom of the seventh and 8-4 going to the bottom of the ninth before making things interesting for the Mountain Cats.
After Kirman drilled his second home run of the contest – a three-run shot in the bottom of the ninth – to cut the lead to 8-7, the Huskies continued to put the pressure on as they got back-to-back singles from redshirt sophomore
Cy Treaster (Lewistown, Pa./Mifflin County) and senior
Brian Almand (Haddon Township, N.J./Paul VI) to put runners at the corners with two outs. Freshman
Tristan Kevitch (Ardmore, Pa./Harriton) stepped to the plate and put a charge into an offering from Pitt-Johnstown's Nathan Bearer, but the ball was caught just shy of the center field fence by Ernesto Rizzitano to end the game.
Pitt-Johnstown scored the first run of the game in the top of the second inning against Bloomsburg starter, sophomore
Zach Newmyer (New Cumberland, Pa./Red Land). Jake Stern led off the frame with a single, promptly stole second, and then scored on an RBI single from Luke Williams.
The Mountain Cats extended the lead to 3-0 in the top of the fifth inning with a pair of runs. After Mason Prickett led off the inning with a single, Newmyer was pulled for redshirt sophomore reliever
Zach Meyer (Muncy Valley, Pa./Sullivan County). Pitt-Johnstown would load the bases with nobody out before Meyer retired Dillon Boyer on a sacrifice fly to center for a 2-0 Pitt-Johnstown advantage. The Mountain Cats cashed in their second run of the inning on a wild pitch.
Newmyer went four innings and allowed two runs on five hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out three.
The big blow for the Huskies, however, came in the top of the sixth inning. It appeared that Meyer would get out of the inning after allowing a hit and a walk, but, a dropped pop up allowed the inning to continue with two outs. The very next batter, Prickett, launched a three-run home run to give the Mountain Cats a 6-0 advantage.
Bloomsburg's comeback bid started in the bottom of the seventh after Pitt-Johnstown starter Brantley Rice was taken out after six shutout innings. Rice allowed four hits and three walks while striking out four.
Treaster led off the seventh getting hit by a pitch. Then, after, reliever Trentin Martin retired the next two Huskies, sophomore
Shane Woelfel (Mahwah, N.J./Mahwah) singled and redshirt sophomore
Austin Edgette (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) and sophomore
Tyler Benson (Montville, N.J./Montville Township) drew back-to-back walks to plate the Huskies' first run. Junior
Damin Muth (Breinigsville, Pa./Parkland) followed with a two-run double to cut the lead to 6-3.
Kirman led off the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run to trim the lead to 6-4.
But, the Mountain Cats scored two much-needed insurance runs, on a wild pitch and an RBI groundout, in the top of the ninth against freshman
Logan Zavada (Forty Fort, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) to extend the lead to 8-4 heading to the Huskies' half of the ninth.
Kirman finished 2-for-5 with two home runs and four runs batted in. Muth, Treaster, and senior
Joey Casselberry (Eagleville, Pa./Methacton) each chipped in a pair of hits in the loss.
Prickett paced the Mountain Cats offensively with two hits, two runs scored, a homer, and three runs batted in.
Bloomsburg will head to Newport News, Virginia for a tournament beginning on Thursday, February 25. The Huskies' first game will be against the Newport News Apprentice School with first pitch scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
