GAME 1 HTML BOX SCORE | GAME 2 HTML BOX SCORE

KUTZTOWN, Pa. - The Bloomsburg University baseball team earned a mid-week conference doubleheader split at Kutztown University on Wednesday afternoon as the games were rescheduled after a postponement earlier in the season. The Huskies used an eight-run fourth inning to earn a 14-7 victory in game one but then dropped the nightcap by a 6-4 final. Bloomsburg moved to 17-7 overall and 9-3 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division while Kutztown moved to 11-11 overall and 5-7 in the division.

The Huskies jumped on Kutztown's game one starter, Zach Peters, with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Redshirt senior Austin Edgette (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East), the reigning PSAC East Athlete of the Week, picked up where he left off by lacing a single back up the middle with one out to start the rally. Redshirt junior Shane Woelfel (Mahwah, N.J./Mahwah) walked and then both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Junior Ryan Shiffer (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) drove home the first run with an RBI groundout and then sophomore Andrew Holmes (Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Egg Harbor Township) doubled to left to score Woelfel for the second run of the inning.

Kutztown, however, answered with three runs in the bottom of the first against sophomore Brett Alaimo (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) to take a 3-2 lead. Nick Lafferty had a two-run single and Tanner Miller had the other RBI during the frame. Miller's single ended the day for Alaimo who threw 32 pitches in just two-thirds of an inning. Sophomore Ed Herbener (Freeland, Pa./MMI Preparatory School) came on to strikeout Zack Delp to end the inning without any further damage.

Bloomsburg's bats stayed hot in the second as it added four runs on three hits to take a 6-3 advantage. Freshman Kyle OFier (Pittston, Pa./Pittston Area) and sophomore Chad Cooperman (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) led off with back-to-back singles and then sophomore Nate Krizan (Montoursville, Pa./Loyalsock Township) walked to load the bases. Sophomore Cole Swiger (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin) followed with a bases-loaded walk to tie the game at 3-3 and then Edgette cleared the bases with a three-run double to left center for the big blow of the inning.

The Golden Bears got a run back in the bottom of the third to cut the lead to 6-4 before the Huskies blew the game open with their eight-run fourth inning. Swiger, Edgette, and Woelfel strung three consecutive hits together with Woelfel's single scoring Swiger for a 7-4 advantage. After Shiffer walked, Holmes belted his first collegiate grand slam home run to left field which extended the Huskies' lead to 11-4. Then, with two outs, OFier started another rally with a walk. Cooperman followed with a walk and then sophomore Nate Krizan (Montoursville, Pa./Loyalsock Township) reached on an infield single to, again, load the bases. Swiger singled to scored OFier and then Edgette and Woelfel were both hit by a pitch to bring home the final two runs of the inning.

Kutztown responded with two unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth to cut the lead to 14-6 and then scored its final run in the bottom of the fifth for the final margin.

Herbener was credited with the victory as he improved to 2-0 on the season. He allowed three runs (one earned) on two hits in three innings. He walked five and struck out one. Junior Jeremy Zezza (Exeter, Pa./Wyoming Area) allowed an unearned run on one hit in an inning and a third while redshirt sophomore James Reardon IV (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) pitched two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks, while striking out two to end the game. Peters suffered the loss for Kutztown as he fell to 0-2 on the year after allowing six runs on five hits and three walks in two innings.

The Huskies took advantage of 12 hits, eight walks, and two hit batsmen en route to their 14-run outburst. Edgette went 3-for-4 with two runs and four RBI while Holmes was 2-for-5 with a team-high five RBI, aided by his fourth-inning grand slam. Swiger and Woelfel also had two hits apiece in the opener.

Like game one, the Huskies struck first in game two with a run in the top of the first inning against Gavilan Fogarty-Harnish. Swiger led off the game with a double down the left field line and then came in to score on an RBI single from Woelfel.

But, the Golden Bears answered with three runs in the bottom of the second, against redshirt sophomore Mark Bobko (Metuchen, N.J./St. Joseph Metuchen), to take a 3-1 advantage. Dariel Richardson led off the inning with a solo home run to tie the game at 1-1. Kutztown's other runs came on a double play and on an error.

In the top of the fifth, the Huskies cut the lead to 3-2 on an RBI double from Edgette which scored Cooperman who had led off the inning with a double.

Kutztown picked up three insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth - all of which were unearned against redshirt junior Zach Newmyer (New Cumberland, Pa./Red Land). The big blow of the inning came from Delp who hit a two-out, two-run home run to left.

Bloomsburg came right back with two runs in the top of the sixth to cut the lead to 6-4. OFier was hit by a pitch with one out and then advanced to third on a double by Cooperman. Krizan plated OFier with a single through the left side of the infield, trimming the advantage to 6-3. Swiger followed with a sacrifice fly to score Cooperman for the final run of the inning and, what proved to be, the final run of the game.

Bobko suffered the loss to drop to 0-1 on the season. He allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits in two innings. Newmyer pitched well in relief as he went two and two-thirds innings and allowed three unearned runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out five. Senior Mike Warren (Garnerville, N.Y./St. Joseph Regional) pitched the final inning and a-third and allowed only a hit. Fogarty-Harnish got the win for Kutztown to improve to 2-1. He allowed a run on three hits while striking out four in three innings.

The Huskies had ten hits in game two as they out-hit the Golden Bears, 10-9. Cooperman was 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored while Woelfel and Krizan each had two hits apiece.

Bloomsburg will return to conference action Friday, April 13, and Saturday, April 14, as it will battle PSAC East-rival, Mansfield University. The teams will begin the four-game series in Mansfield on Friday before heading to Bloomsburg on Saturday. Both doubleheaders are slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. Stay tuned for buhuskies.com for any schedule changes.