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JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - Sophomore Nate Krizan (Montoursville, Pa./Loyalsock Township) doubled to drive home redshirt freshman pinch-runner Christian Ciotti (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township) with nobody out in the bottom of the ninth as the Bloomsburg University baseball team lived to see another day in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) tournament with a 5-4 victory over Slippery Rock University on Friday afternoon at Point Stadium. The Huskies improved to 31-17 overall while The Rock, who was eliminated with the loss, dropped to 30-19 on the season.

Junior Ryan Shiffer (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a double down the left field line on a 2-1 pitch from Slippery Rock closer, Wyatt Daugherty. Shiffer was lifted for Ciotti as Krizan stepped up to the dish. Showing bunt on the first two pitches, Krizan faced an 0-2 hole before driving the next pitch over the head of Slippery Rock rightfielder, Frankie Jezioro, to bring home Ciotti for the game-winning run.

The Huskies had the opportunity thanks to junior reliever Trey Hinkle (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) pulling a rabbit out of the hat in the top half of the inning. Jezioro led off the visiting half of the ninth with a triple to dead center on the first pitch of his at bat. But, Hinkle, as he has down time and time again down the stretch, made huge pitches to keep The Rock from taking the lead. With the infield drawn in, Kyle Wise grounded out to freshman second baseman Kyle OFier (Pittston, Pa./Pittston Area) for the first out of the inning. Then, Ray Scala hit a bouncer to Krizan at short and the sophomore threw a strike to Shiffer at the plate to nab Jezioro for the second out. Hinkle retired Abraham Mow on a groundout to end the inning and the Slippery Rock threat and set up Krizan's heroics.

Hinkle improved to 6-1 on the season after pitching two scoreless innings in relief of sophomore Chad Cooperman (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury), who was sensational for the first seven innings. Hinkle allowed a hit and a walk while striking out a batter. The junior righthander has allowed only four earned runs over his last 17 appearances (22.2 innings) after taking over as the Huskies' closer.

Cooperman, meanwhile, gave Bloomsburg everything it needed and then some. He went seven innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out eight. He made one mistake the entire game as he allowed a three-run home run to Christian Porterfield in the top of the first inning. Cooperman threw 77 of his 114 pitches for strikes and made huge pitches, especially over the last three innings, to keep the Huskies in the game.

Slippery Rock took its 3-0 lead in the top of the first but Cooperman deserved a better fate. After he struck out Mow, Luca Fuscardo reached on an error and then Tyler Walters singled to put runners at first and second with one out. On the pitch prior to Walters' single, however, the Slippery Rock slugger lifted a popup in foul territory on the first base side that fell harmlessly despite sophomore Andrew Holmes (Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Egg Harbor Township)' attempt to make the catch. Porterfield then belted the three-run home run over the tall wall in left for his 14th home run of the season.

The Huskies got one run back in the bottom of the first against Slippery Rock starter, Ryan Tapp, to cut the advantage to 3-1. Sophomore Cole Swiger (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin) and redshirt senior Austin Edgette (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) drew back-to-back walks with Swiger advancing all the way to third on a stolen base and a wild pitch during Edgette's at bat. Redshirt junior Shane Woelfel (Mahwah, N.J./Mahwah) bounced into a double play but Swiger crossed the plate for the only run of the inning.

Bloomsburg tied the game in the bottom of the third with a pair of runs. Holmes led off with a single and then advanced to second on a walk to freshman Jake Reed (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown). Swiger bunted both runners over and, after Edgette struck out, Woelfel came through with a two-out, two-run double down the left field line to plate both Holmes and Reed to knot the score at 3-3.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Huskies took their first lead of the game when Krizan singled home freshman Ben Newbert (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Harriton) for a 4-3 advantage. Newbert had led off the inning with a single and then advanced to second on a groundout before scoring from second on the Krizan hit.

Slippery Rock threatened to tie in the fifth as it got runners at first and third with nobody out to start the inning. Cooperman, however, struck out Mow, and then got Fuscardo to bounce into a 4-6-3 double play to end the frame. The Rock did tie the game in the sixth when Walters led off with a triple and then scored on a double by Porterfield. Then, with Porterfield advancing to third on a groundout, Cooperman struck out Mitchell Wood and then retired Jezioro on a flyout to right to end the threat.

Slippery Rock had another opportunity in the seventh, getting a runner to second with one out. But, again, Cooperman got out of the jam with a strike out of Mow and a groundout by Fuscardo to end the inning and his afternoon.

In the bottom of the eighth, Edgette led off the inning with a single and then advanced to second when he swiped his 23rd base of the season. The hit was the 235th of Edgette's career which tied Bloomsburg Hall of Famer, John Stillo, for the most career hits in program history. Stillo recorded 235 hits from 1995 to 1998.

Daugherty suffered the loss for Slippery Rock as he fell to 3-5 on the season. Tapp pitched great for Slippery Rock as he went the first six innings and allowed four runs on four hits. He walked three and struck out five.

Both teams had eight hits in the contest with the Huskies getting a 2-for-4 performance from Krizan who also drove in two runs. Woelfel drove in the other two for Bloomsburg. Porterfield and Walters combined to go 5-for-8 with three runs scored and four runs batted in for The Rock. The rest of Slippery Rock's lineup went 3-for-27 with eight strikeouts.

Bloomsburg advances to Saturday when it will square off against Millersville University in the opening game of the day. First pitch is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. from Point Stadium. The Huskies went 1-3 against the Marauders, who is a perfect 2-0 in the tournament, this season.