HAMPTON, Va. – The Bloomsburg University baseball team opened the 2018 regular season in style on Friday with an impressive, 15-2, victory over The Apprentice School followed by a come-from-behind, 9-8, win over Kutztown at the War Memorial Stadium.
 
In the opener, the Huskies took advantage of a dozen hits, ten walks, and a pair of hit batsmen en route to 15 runs against the Builders. Junior Ashton Raines (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) was the beneficiary of the offensive support as he picked up his first victory of the young season after pitching seven strong innings. The righthander allowed only a run on three hits while striking out four.
 
Bloomsburg got the bats going early against The Apprentice School's starting pitcher, Alec Wonders as the Huskies struck for three runs in the top of the first inning. Redshirt junior Shane Woelfel (Mahwah, N.J./Mahwah) drew a leadoff walk and then advanced to second when sophomore Cole Swiger (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin) singled back up the middle. After redshirt senior Austin Edgette (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) was hit by a pitch to load the bases, junior Ryan Shiffer (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) brought home the first home with a bases-loaded walk. Freshman Ben Newbert (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Harriton) then singled through the left side of the infield to score both Swiger and Edgette to push the lead to 3-0.
 
The Huskies plated four more runs in the top of the second to extend the lead to 7-0. Sophomore Nate Krizan (Montoursville, Pa./Loyalsock Township) led off the inning with a double and then scored on a two-run home run to right by Woelfel. Two batters later, Edgette was plunked for the second straight time and then promptly stole second. Shiffer brought Edgette home with an RBI double to left center to extend the lead to 6-0. The Huskies then pulled off a double steal for the final run of the inning as freshman Kyle OFier (Pittston, Pa./Pittston Area) stole second and Shiffer stole home.
 
Bloomsburg got a single run in the top of the third on a sacrifice fly from Woelfel to balloon the advantage to 8-0. Sophomore Chad Cooperman (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) scored after reaching base on a leadoff walk.
 
The Builders scored their only run against Raines in the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice fly from Mike Brumfie. Two of the three hits allowed by Raines over the course of his seven innings of work came in the fourth.
 
OFier drove home his first collegiate run in the top of the sixth with a sacrifice fly that scored Edgette. Then, Bloomsburg tacked on three more in the eighth on an RBI single from OFier and a two-run double from junior transfer Colton Hooker (Warrington, Pa./Upper Moreland).
 
The hosts got a run back in the bottom of the eighth before the Huskies finished off the scoring in the top of the ninth with a pair of runs – one on a bases-loaded walk to freshman Jared Burcin (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) and the other on a run-scoring fielder's choice from Newbert.
 
Shiffer went 3-for-3 with a pair of runs batted in while both Swiger and Krizan had two hits apiece to pace the Huskies' offense. Newbert drove in a team-high four runs while Woelfel drove in three. Edgette went 1-for-2 but reached base five times (two walks and two hit by pitch) and scored five runs.
 
Redshirt sophomore Mark Bobko (Metuchen, N.J./St. Joseph Metuchen) and sophomore JJ Spehrley (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville Area) combined to allowed one run on three hits over the last two innings.
 
In game two against Kutztown, Swiger completed the Huskies' comeback as he plated Krizan with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to lift Bloomsburg to a 9-8 victory. Krizan reached on a one-out double, advanced to third on a groundout, and then scored when Swiger doubled to left center on the first pitch of his at bat.
 
The winning run allowed sophomore Ed Herbener (Freeland, Pa./MMI Preparatory School) to earn his first collegiate victory. The right-handed reliever allowed one run on one hit while striking out four over the last two and two-thirds innings.
 
Bloomsburg trailed 4-0 going to the bottom of the fifth when it struck for four runs in the frame to tie the game at 4-4. Kutztown's Stephen Wagner Jr. came on in relief and was greeted rudely by the Huskies. Woelfel drew a leadoff walk and then advanced to second on a single by Swiger. Edgette followed with an RBI double that plated Woelfel for Bloomsburg's first run. Shiffer tied the game with one swing, launching a three-run home run to center field on a 1-0 offering from Wagner for his first round-tripper of the season.
 
The Huskies took their first lead of the game, 5-4, in the bottom of the sixth when Shiffer drove home Woelfel with an RBI groundout.
 
Kutztown reclaimed its lead in the top of the seventh when it scored three times to take a 7-5 advantage. Herbener was the hero as he came on in relief with runners on second and third, three runners already in, and only one out. Herbener threw eight pitches and struck out both batters he faced to get out of the jam.
 
The offense built off of the momentum as the Huskies got all three runs back in the bottom half to take an 8-7 lead. Redshirt freshman Christian Ciotti (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township) started the rally with a pinch-hit single and then a steal of second base. OFier drove him home with a single back up the middle to cut the Kutztown lead to 7-6. Cooperman followed with a single and then both runners advanced to second and third on a sacrifice from Krizan. Woelfel gave the Huskies the lead with a two-run double down the right-field line.
 
Kutztown was able to get out of the jam and then tied the game against Herbener in the top of the eighth which set up Swiger's heroics in the bottom of the ninth.
 
Bloomsburg had 13 more hits in game two with Woelfel, Swiger, Shiffer, OFier, and Cooperman each collecting a pair. Shiffer drove in a team-high four runs, aided by the three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth. Woelfel scored twice and plated a pair of runs.
 
Zach Newmyer (New Cumberland, Pa./Red Land) started and went four innings, allowing three runs on three hits. He walked three and struck out five. James Reardon IV (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) and Trey Hinkle (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) also saw action on the mound.
 
Bloomsburg will play both teams again on Saturday, February 24. First pitch against The Apprentice School is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. while the Huskies and the Golden Bears will meet at 1:00 p.m.