MANSFIELD, Pa. - The Bloomsburg University baseball team split a doubleheader at Mansfield University on Monday afternoon, losing the first game, 13-4, before bouncing back for a 12-5 victory in the nightcap. The Huskies, who took three of the four games from the Mountaineers, moved to 16-12-1 overall and 6-5-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division. Mansfield, meanwhile, dropped to 16-16 overall and 5-7 in divisional play.

The Huskies wasted little time carrying momentum from freshman Cole Swiger (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin)'s walkoff home run in game two on Sunday afternoon by scoring three runs in the top of the first inning of game one on Monday afternoon against Mansfield starter, Luke Hils. Hils retired redshirt junior Austin Edgette (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) to leadoff the inning, then walked junior Tyler Benson (Montville, N.J./Montville Township) but picked him off for the second out of the frame. Bloomsburg, however, rattled off five consecutive hits with two outs to score its three runs. Senior Damin Muth (Breinigsville, Pa./Parkland) started the rally with a single and advanced to second on a single from sophomore Ryan Shiffer (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South). Redshirt senior Ryuta Amaike (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) singled to center to plate Muth for the first run of the inning. Swiger followed with a run-scoring single and freshman Chad Cooperman (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) finished off the string with an RBI single to drive home the third run of the inning.

But, Mansfield responded with three runs in the bottom of the first against sophomore starter, Trey Hinkle (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus). Hinkle struck out the first two batters of the inning before Peter Pena hit a solo home run to center to get the Mountaineers on the board. After Ryan Paige singled to center, Tanner Klein belted a two-run shot to left center to tie the game at 3-3. Hinkle struck out Jerry Chavarria to end the inning with no further damage.

After the wild first inning, both pitchers settled down in the second. But, Hinkle ran into problems again in the bottom of the third as the Mountaineers scored a pair of runs - one unearned - to take a 5-3 advantage after three innings. It didn't get better in the fourth as Mansfield added three more runs to take an 8-3 lead. Hinkle couldn't get out of the inning as redshirt junior Zach Meyer (Muncy Valley, Pa./Sullivan County) came on in relief. Meyer allowed a two-out RBI single to Pena but then retired Paige to get out of the jam.

Mansfield kept the bats going in the fifth as it plated four more runs, against three Huskies' pitchers, to take a commanding, 12-3, lead. Bloomsburg got a run back in the top of the sixth when Shiffer singled to shortstop to scored Benson who reached on a one-out single. Pena got the run back with a lead off home run in the bottom of the sixth against redshirt freshman James Reardon IV (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) to close out the scoring.

The telling tale of the game - the Huskies left a dozen runners on base while the Mountaineers stranded only two. Bloomsburg had 11 hits, six walks, and a hit batter, but could only manage the four runs.

Hinkle dropped to 3-2 on the season after allowing eight runs (seven earned) on seven hits in three and two-thirds innings. He walked one and struck out six. Meyer allowed a run on two hits with a strikeout in one inning of work. Hils, after a disastrous first inning, rebounded to post the victory to move to 3-4 on the year. He allowed four runs on ten hits in six innings while walking five and striking out four.

Offensively for the Huskies, Shiffer, Amaike, and Swiger had two hits apiece. Pena was 3-for-4 with two home runs and three runs batted in for the Mountaineers.

In game two, Amaike and Shiffer went to work at the plate and helped the Huskies to the split. Amaike also got the ball in the nightcap but did allow a first inning run as the Mountaineers took a 1-0 lead when Dio Infante, who was a thorn in Amaike's side, scored on a wild pitch after reaching on a one-out double.

But, Shiffer led off the top of the second with his second home run of the season - a blast to center field on a 2-0 pitch from Mansfield starter, Tanner Klein. Amaike followed with a home run to center on a 2-2 offering from Klein as the Huskies went back-to-back to take a 2-1 lead. Bloomsburg was not done in the second. After Klein recorded the first out of the inning, freshman Blake Gular (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton) doubled to start another rally. Cooperman singled to put runners at the corners with one out and freshman Nate Krizan (Montoursville, Pa./Loyalsock) was credited with an RBI when he reached on an error to give the Huskies a 3-1 lead. Klein got out of the inning without any further damage.

In the top of the third, Shiffer and Amaike were at it again. Shiffer reached on a one-out bunt single and then Amaike belted his second home run of the game to give the Huskies a 5-1 advantage. It marked the first time in Amaike's career that he hit multiple home runs in a game and it tied him for the team lead, with Swiger, for home runs this season with five.

In the bottom half, Infante led off the inning with a home run to left center off of Amaike to cut the Huskies' lead to 5-2.

The Huskies went back to work in the top of the fourth. Cooperman reached on an error to leadoff the inning and then Krizan walked to put runners at first and second with nobody out. Benson then reached on a one-out infield single to load the bases for Muth. The senior came through with an RBI single to give the Huskies a 6-2 lead. Shiffer followed with a two-run double to balloon the advantage to 8-2.

Pena had an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth to cut the Huskies' lead to 8-3. But, Bloomsburg got the run back in the top of the fifth on an RBI single from Benson to take a 9-3 advantage. Two more Huskies' runners came around to score in the top of the sixth and on a two-run single from Cooperman as the visitors built up an 11-3 lead. Infante belted a two-run home run for the Mountaineers in the bottom of the sixth, but Edgette belted a solo home run to lead off the seventh for the final run of the game.

Amaike improved to 3-1 on the mound as he allowed three runs on seven hits in four innings. He walked two and struck out six. Freshman Brett Alaimo (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) earned his team-leading fourth save after getting through the final three innings. He allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits while striking out three. Amaike was 2-for-3 with three runs scored, two home runs, and three runs batted in at the plate. Shiffer, meanwhile, was 4-for-5 with three runs and three runs batted in. Benson, Muth, Gular, and Cooperman added two hits apiece as the Huskies finished with 15 hits in game two.

Klein took the loss for Mansfield as he fell to 3-2 on the season after allowing seven runs (six earned) on six hits in three innings. Infante was 4-for-4 with two home runs and three runs batted in to past Mansfield.

Bloomsburg will go right back to work on Tuesday afternoon with a non-conference doubleheader against PSAC West rival, Clarion University, at Danny Litwhiler Field. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.