GAME 1 HTML BOX SCORE | GAME 2 HTML BOX SCORE

WEST CHESTER, Pa. - The Bloomsburg University baseball team, Division II's top-ranked team in the Atlantic Region, fell into a first-place tie in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division with West Chester University on Saturday, losing a pair of road games to the 21st-ranked Golden Rams by the scores of 9-1 and 10-3. The twinbill was interrupted, late in game two, by a two-hour lightning delay. Both teams ended play with 15-7 PSAC East records with Millersville University knocking on the door at 15-8. The Huskies are 26-12 overall while the Golden Rams, #3 in the Atlantic Region, ended play Saturday also at 26-12.
 
The first game was scoreless until the third when the Golden Rams scored three times against Huskies' starter, junior Ashton Raines (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) (6-1). West Chester's Shane Dressler had the big hit, a two-run double. West Chester broke the game open with six markers in the fifth, two of them unearned thanks to a Huskies' infield miscue. Raines gave up all nine WCU runs, seven earned, and ten hits in four-plus innings of work as he suffered his first loss of the season. He pitched to six batters in the fifth but could not record an out in the frame.

Junior Trey Hinkle (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) pitched a scoreless fifth inning while redshirt senior Zach Meyer (Muncy Valley, Pa./Sullivan County) pitched around a hit and a walk to toss a scoreless sixth inning.
 
West Chester starter Jon Fisher (4-3) worked into the seventh before the Huskies got to the junior righthander. Sophomore Nate Krizan (Montoursville, Pa./Loyalsock Township) eventually drove in freshman Kyle OFier (Pittston, Pa./Pittston Area) with a base hit against reliever Michael Deitz to break-up the Golden Rams' shutout bid.

Bloomsburg was out-hit in game one, 11-7. Krizan had two hits as did freshman Ben Newbert (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Harriton) and junior Colton Hooker (Warrington, Pa./Upper Moreland).
 
West Chester got on the board right away in the last of the first of game two against Huskies' starter JJ Spehrley (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville Area) when, with two down, a walk and a pair of singles put the Huskies in an immediate 1-0 hole. But, Bloomsburg retaliated in the top of the second when it bunched singles by sophomore Andrew Holmes (Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Egg Harbor Township), OFier, Hooker, and sophomore Cole Swiger (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin) to plate a pair of runs and take a 2-1 lead. The advantage grew to 3-1 in the visitor's third when sophomore Chad Cooperman (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) and OFier stroked back-to-back doubles.
 
The lead lasted only to the bottom of the inning when the Golden Rams collected four hits to take a 4-3 lead - one they would never relinquish. West Chester added three more in the home fifth - two coming on a home run by Dressler - and put the game firmly out of reach with three more in the sixth including a solo shot by Jon Hansen.
 
Spehrley (6-1), like Raines in game one, dropped his first decision of the season. The sophomore went 2.1 innings and allowed four runs and four hits. Sophomore Ed Herbener (Freeland, Pa./MMI Preparatory School) surrendered two runs in 1.2 innings while Hinkle and Mike Warren (Garnerville, N.Y./St. Joseph Regional) allowed one run and three runs, respectively, in separate innings of work.
 
West Chester starter Zach Rice (6-2) worked five innings, allowing all three Huskies' runs and all eight Bloomsburg hits. The Golden Rams are now 11-1 at home this season while the Huskies fell to 14-10 on the road.

OFier was the only Bloomsburg batter to have multiple hits in game two as he finished 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.
 
The two teams will conclude the four-game series on Sunday as they are scheduled to play another doubleheader, weather permitting, at Danny Litwhiler Field. The first game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Stay tuned to buhuskies.com for any schedule changes.