Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

KUTZTOWN, Pa. - Sophomore Mike Warren (Garnerville, N.Y./St. Joseph Regional) hurled his first collegiate shutout in game one to lift the Bloomsburg University baseball team to a split at Kutztown University on Saturday afternoon, starting a crucial four-game weekend series. Bloomsburg took the opener by an 8-0 final before dropping a 4-2 decision in the nightcap. The Huskies moved to 21-19 overall and 8-14 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division while the Golden Bears moved to 19-25 overall and 9-13 in conference play.

Warren, who improved to 5-4 on the season, allowed only four hits and one walk, while striking out seven, in his game-one gem. Kutztown managed to get only one runner to third base and had just three runners get into scoring position as the Huskies' sophomore righthander was in complete control of the opener.

While Warren was throwing goose eggs at the Golden Bears, so too was Kutztown's Matt Swarmer - until the Huskies were finally able to dent the scoreboard with a single run in the top of the fourth inning.

Sophomore Tyler Benson (Montville, N.J./Montville Township) led off the fourth with a double down the left field line and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from redshirt sophomore Austin Edgette (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East). Senior Joey Casselberry (Eagleville, Pa./Methacton) drove home Benson - his 50th RBI of the season - with a sacrifice fly to center field.

Another extra-base hit to lead off an inning gave the Huskies another run in the top of the fifth. Junior Damin Muth (Breinigsville, Pa./Parkland) led off the frame with his second career triple - his first of the season - to right center field. Freshman Tristan Kevitch (Ardmore, Pa./Harriton) promptly scored Muth with a run-scoring single back up the middle for a 2-0 advantage.

The Huskies broke the game open with four unearned runs against Swarmer in the top of the sixth to take a 6-0 lead. Swarmer struck out the first two batters of the inning and appeared to throw a perfect 1-2-3 frame when Edgette hit a grounder to first base. However, the ball was booted and the flood gates opened from there. Casselberry followed with a single and senior Ryan Kirman (Little Silver, N.J./Red Bank Regional) plated Edgette with an RBI single for a 3-0 lead. Muth followed with an RBI single that scored Casselberry to extend the lead to 4-0. Kevitch made it 5-0 with another RBI single and sophomore Shane Woelfel (Mahwah, N.J./Mahwah) completed the scoring by plating Muth for the fourth run of the inning and a 6-0 advantage.

Bloomsburg added two more rus in in the top of the seventh against Kutztown reliever David Brown. Benson tripled to right center with one out and then scored on a base hit by Edgette. After a hit by Casselberry and a walk to Kirman, Kevitch drove home his third run of the game with an infield single that scored Edgette.

Warren sent the Golden Bears down in order in the bottom half of the seventh to complete the shutout.

Swarmer dropped to 3-4 on the season. He allowed six runs (two earned) on nine hits in six innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out nine. Brown allowed two runs on four hits in the seventh.

Kevitch had three of Bloomsburg's 13 hits while Benson, Casselberry, Muth, and Woelfel had two hits apiece. Edgette extended his hitting streak to eleven games with his seventh-inning single.

Another pitching gem was tossed in game two but, unfortunately for Bloomsburg, it was thrown by Kutztown's Paul Piromalli.

Piromalli allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits to improve to 3-3 on the season. He walked four and struck out ten in his complete-game victory. Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore Zach Meyer (Muncy Valley, Pa./Sullivan County) pitched well for the Huskies as he allowed four runs on eight his in a complete-game. He walked one and struck out four but was outdueled by Piromalli.

Kutztown struck for three runs in the bottom of the first against Meyer to take a 3-0 lead. Alec O'Dell had an RBI single to give the hosts a 1-0 lead and Joe Santospago followed with a two-run home run to left center for the final runs of the inning.

After the first inning, Meyer allowed only a run on five hits as he kept the Golden Bears at bay and kept the Huskies in the game.

Bloomsburg got to Piromalli with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth as it cut the lead to 3-2. Woelfel led off the inning with a triple to left center and then scored when freshman Ryan Shiffer (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) reached on an error. Shiffer, who was credited with an RBI, came around to score on a wild pitch later in the inning.

Kirman doubled with one out in the sixth but was left stranded after Piromalli got two pop-outs to shortstop.

Kutztown's Kyle Rogers led off the bottom of the sixth with a solor home run to left to give the Golden Bears a 4-2 lead. In the bottom half, Bloomsburg made things quite interesting against Piromalli. Back-to-back singles from Woelfel and Shiffer gave the Huskies runners at first and second with nobody out. After a strikeout, Benson drew a walk to load the bases with one out and Edgette and Casselberry coming to the plate. Piromalli struck out Edgette - his tenth punchout of the game - and then retired Casselberry on a fielder's choice to end the contest.

The Huskies were held to four hits - two from Woelfel and one each from Kirman and Shiffer - in the loss. In fact, Bloomsburg's first hit did not come until Woelfel's triple to lead off the fifth. The Huskies did, however, leave seven runners on base including the bases loaded in both the third and seventh innings.

The teams will reconvene at Danny Litwhiler Field on Sunday afternoon with first pitch of game one scheduled to be thrown at 1:00 p.m.