SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg University baseball team slugged three home runs in the opener on Friday afternoon as the Huskies took game one, 8-3, at Shippensburg University. The Raiders rebounded for a 5-1 victory in the nightcap as the teams split the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division-opening doubleheader. Bloomsburg moved to 11-8 overall while Shippensburg moved to 5-10-1 on the season.

Freshman Cole Swiger (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin) belted a pair of solo home runs and sophomore Ryan Shiffer (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) launched a first-inning grand slam - his first collegiate round tripper - to propel the Huskies to the game-one victory. The runs were in support of junior Mike Warren (Garnerville, N.Y./St. Joseph Regional) who scattered ten hits in his first complete game of the season. The righthander allowed three runs, walked two, and struck out four to improve to 2-1 on the campaign.

Warren got all the offense he would need in the top of the first inning as the Huskies jumped out to a 5-0 advantage. Redshirt junior Austin Edgette (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) started the barrage with a leadoff walk against Shippensburg starter Zack Sims. He promptly stole second and then advanced to third when junior Tyler Benson (Montville, N.J./Montville Township) singled through the right side of the infield. Sims recorded the first out of the inning on a strikeout of senior Damin Muth (Breinigsville, Pa./Parkland), but Benson stole second on the pitch which prompted Shippensburg to intentionally walk redshirt senior Ryuta Amaike (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) to load the bases. Shiffer made the Raiders pay when he launched a 2-2 offering over the left-center field fence for his first career home run and a 4-0 lead. Swiger followed with a solo shot, on a full count, for his second home run of the season which extended the Huskies' lead to 5-0.

The Raiders got on the board in the bottom of the third inning on an RBI single from Grant Hoover and then added another run in the bottom of the fourth on a leadoff home run from Jake Kennedy to cut the Huskies' lead to 5-2.

But, in the top of the fifth, Bloomsburg got both of the runs back on a pair of bases-loaded walks to extend the lead to 7-2. Freshman Andrew Holmes (Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Egg Harbor Township) was credited with the first RBI when he drew a four-pitch walk to make the score, 6-2. Two batters later, freshman Chad Cooperman (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) drew a six-pitch walk to drive home the second run of the frame.

Swiger launched his second home run of the game - third of the season - to lead off the top half of the seventh inning and to give the Huskies an 8-2 advantage.

The Raiders collected four hits in the bottom half of the seventh but was only able to cash in one run as the Huskies posted the 8-3 victory.

Shippensburg out-hit Bloomsburg, 10-6, in the opener but the Huskies were able to take advantage of five walks, two hit batters, and a pair of Raider errors. Swiger went 2-for-4 with three runs scored. He was the only Huskies' batter with more than one hit in the contest.

Sims fell to 2-1 for Shippensburg as he allowed seven runs (six earned) on five hits in four and a-third innings.

Game two was a different story as the Huskies' bats were kept quiet by Shippensburg starter, Mark Curtis. In fact, Bloomsburg was held hitless through the first four and two-thirds innings until freshman Nate Krizan (Montoursville, Pa./Loyalsock) singled with two outs in the top of the fifth to break up Curtis' no-hit bid. The Huskies had only two baserunners up to that point - Edgette was hit by a pitch to leadoff the game and then drew a two-out walk in the top of the third.

Sophomore Ashton Raines (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) took the mound in game two but promptly allowed two runs in the bottom of the first which proved to be all that Curtis would need. One of the two first-inning runs was unearned as the Raiders took a 2-0 lead.

Shippensburg added another unearned run in the bottom of the second to extend the advantage to 3-0 through two innings.

Bloomsburg scored its only run of the game, and had its only three hits, in the top of the fifth inning. After Curtis recorded the first two outs, Krizan broke up the no-hitter with a single to left field on a 3-2 pitch. Cooperman followed with a single to move Krizan all the way to third with two outs. Edgette singled through the hole between first and second to drive home Krizan and to cut the lead to 3-1. Benson kept the inning alive when he reached on an error that loaded the bases for Muth. But, Curtis got out of the inning when he got Muth to fly out to left to end the frame.

The Raiders scored twice in the bottom half of the fifth to extend the lead to 5-1. Curtis then pitched a perfect sixth inning and Michael Hope came on to close out the game with a 1-2-3 seventh as Shippensburg was able to get the split.

Raines went the distance and allowed five runs (three earned) on ten hits. He walked two and struck out five but fell to 2-2 on the season. Curtis picked up his first win of the season allowing a run on three hits while striking out seven.

The teams will conclude the four-game weekend series on Saturday afternoon with another doubleheader, again in Shippensburg. The teams were scheduled to play in Bloomsburg but the games had to be kept in Shippensburg due to unplayable field conditions at Danny Litwhiler Field. First pitch of game one tomorrow is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.