COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. - One day after sweeping fifth-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday, the Bloomsburg University baseball team found themselves on the short end of a pair of 3-2 decisions against the Spartans on Sunday afternoon as the teams split the four-game weekend series in Colonial Heights, Virginia. The Huskies dropped to 5-3 overall on the young season while St. Thomas Aquinas moved to 6-2 overall.

Game one on Sunday needed an extra inning to determine the outcome but, unfortunately for the Huskies, the outcome did not end up in their favor. St. Thomas Aquinas' Giovanni Dingcong hit a towering home run off of redshirt sophomore James Reardon IV (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) to lead off the top of the eighth to break a 2-2 tie. Dingcong's shot was originally ruled a foul ball by the base umpire but, after a discussion with the plate umpire, the call was overturned. Reardon and junior Jeremy Zezza (Exeter, Pa./Wyoming Area) combined to get out of the inning without any further damage.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Huskies loaded the bases - on three consecutive walks - with one out against Spartan reliever Chris Pennell. However, Pennell induced a game-ending double play to keep Bloomsburg off the scoreboard and preserve the victory.

Bloomsburg could muster only four hits against three St. Thomas Aquinas pitchers but did walk 11 times in the game which led to 11 runners being left on base in the one-run loss.

The Huskies struck first in the bottom of the third when sophomore Andrew Holmes (Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Egg Harbor Township) laid down a bunt that scored sophomore Cole Swiger (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin) for the game's first run. The Spartans tied it in the top of the fifth on an RBI groundout from Joseph Pena and then took the lead in the sixth on a sacrifice fly from Cris Ruiz.

Bloomsburg tied the game in the bottom of the sixth when freshman Kyle OFier (Pittston, Pa./Pittston Area) belted his first collegiate home run to lead off the frame. OFier is off to a fine start at the plate in his rookie season as he is batting .310 (9-of-29) with one home run and eight runs batted in.

The Huskies allowed only three hits to the Spartans in game one as Dingcong's home run ruined a superb pitching performance from freshman Nick Stoner (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) in his first collegiate start. The righthander allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out two. The Dingcong home run was the only hit Reardon allowed in two and one-third innings while Zezza got a inning-ending double play in the top of the eighth in the only batter he faced.

Swiger had two of Bloomsburg's four hits while OFier and redshirt senior Austin Edgette (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) had the others.

It was more of the same in game two as pitching ruled the day on Sunday. The teams combined for only six hits in the nightcap with the Huskies collecting only two hits against two Spartan pitchers.

Edgette gave Bloomsburg a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with a one-out solo home run off of St. Thomas Aquinas starter Alex Mack. It was Edgette's first round tripper of the season.

The Huskies took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second when freshman Jake Reed (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) dropped a bunt that scored OFier who led off the inning with a walk. OFier stole second and then advanced to third on a single from Nate Krizan (Montoursville, Pa./Loyalsock Township) before scoring on the bunt by Reed.

Sophomore Chad Cooperman (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) was moving along until the Spartans touched him up for a run in the bottom of the fifth when Pena drove home Juan Adorno with a run-scoring single. Then, the strike zone got away from Cooperman in the bottom of the sixth as the righthander walked three consecutive batters - two of which came with the bases loaded - to give the Spartans a 3-2 lead.

Cooperman was saddled with the loss as he dropped to 0-1 on the season. He allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits in five and two-thirds innings. He walked four and struck out seven. Sophomore Brett Alaimo (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) pitched to one batter in the bottom of the sixth and retired the only batter he faced.

Mack lasted just one and a-third innings for the Spartans and was charged with two runs on two hits and one walk. Angelo Baez came on in relief and slammed the door on the Huskies as Bloomsburg did not record another hit after Krizan's single in the top of the second. Baez pitched five and two-thirds hitless innings. He walked two and struck out six for his first win of the season.

The Huskies will head to Wilson, North Carolina for four games over the course of four days. Bloomsburg will start off against West Virginia State on Saturday, March 10 and then will play against California (Pa.) on Sunday, March 11. The Huskies will then tangle with Lock Haven on Tuesday, March 13, before battling California again on Wednesday, March 14 to conclude the trip.