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WEST LAWN, Pa. - The Bloomsburg University baseball team could not solve Mercyhurst University's Chris Vallimont on Thursday night as the Huskies dropped a 5-0 decision to the 24th-ranked Lakers on day one of the 2018 NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional tournament at Owls Field at Ted Palka Park. Bloomsburg dropped to 31-19 on the season while Mercyhurst improved to 33-13.

Of note in the loss was redshirt senior Austin Edgette (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) whose two-out double to right center in the bottom of the eighth inning gave him sole possession of the program's school-record for most career hits with 236. He broke the previous record of 235 set by Bloomsburg University Hall of Famer, John Stillo, who established the mark from 1995 to 1998. Edgette now has 72 hits this season - a new career-high. He is a three-time All-PSAC Eastern Division selection and was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) All-Atlantic Region First Team on Wednesday evening.

Thursday night's game was the program's first NCAA postseason contest since 1995 when the Huskies won the North Atlantic Region and advanced to the national championships before bowing to Valdosta State to end that season. Bloomsburg had to wait a little longer to take the field for its first NCAA postseason game in 23 years as rain was in the area for a majority of the morning and early afternoon hours. Originally scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m., the game did not begin until 9:30 p.m. with the final pitch being thrown at 12:46 a.m. Friday morning.

Unfortunately for the Huskies, waiting for them was Vallimont, a highly-touted pitching prospect who is expected to get drafted next month in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. And, the big righthander was a good as advertised on Thursday night. He went eight scoreless innings and allowed only four hits, walked three, and struck out a dozen to improve to 9-2 on the season. Adam Jeannette pitched a perfect ninth with a pair of strikeouts.

Bloomsburg was certainly not without chances against Vallimont, however, but was unable to dent the scoreboard. The Huskies' big chance came in the bottom of the second inning when freshman Kyle OFier (Pittston, Pa./Pittston Area) singled to lead off the inning. After a strikeout, sophomore Andrew Holmes (Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Egg Harbor Township) walked to put runners at first and second with one out. OFier swiped third base during sophomore Chad Cooperman's (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) at bat to put runners at the corners. After Cooperman struck out, Holmes stole second to put a pair of runners in scoring position. But, Vallimont was able to get out of the jam by striking out junior Ryan Shiffer (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) to end the inning.

The inning was certainly a momentum changer and, most likely, altered the complexion of the game.

Junior Ashton Raines (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) looked strong early and it looked as if a pitcher's duel was in the making. The righthander did allow a four-pitch walk to the first batter of the game and then hit a batter with one out in the second but was able to pitch around those baserunners. But, in the third, after the Huskies failed to score in the bottom half of the second, Mercyhurst grabbed a stranglehold of the momentum and scored three times to take a 3-0 advantage.

A walk, a hit by pitch, and a fielding error on a sacrifice bunt attempt loaded the bases with nobody out for the Lakers. Drew Delsignore then made Raines and the Huskies pay as he laced a three-run double down the left field line to clear the bases and give Mercyhurst a 3-0 advantage. Raines, however, did a tremendous job to get out of the inning without any further damage as the frame ended on a well-turned 6-4-3 double play.

Mercyhurst added a run in the top of the fourth to take a 4-0 lead on an RBI single from Delsignore as he plated Dominic Cecere who singled with one out and then advanced to second on a bunt single by Jimmy Standohar. Raines, again, got out of the jam with any further scoring as he retired Dan Elliott on a flyball to right with a runner at third to end the inning.

Raines allowed a hit in a scoreless fifth and then gave way to junior Trey Hinkle (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) after a leadoff walk to Cecere in the top of the sixth. Hinkle retired the first eight batters he faced before allowing his first baserunner - a two-out walk to Cecere - in the top of the eighth.

In the top of the ninth, Delsignore doubled with one out against Hinkle and then scored on an RBI single from Dan Elliott as the Lakers grabbed a 5-0 lead and ended Hinkle's night. Sophomore JJ Spehrley (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville Area) came on in relief and, after allowing a single to Matt Schneider, retired the final two batters on strikes to end the inning.

Meanwhile, Vallimont kept putting up zeros and allowed only one hit through six and one-third innings - the leadoff single by OFier in the second. However, the Huskies threatened again in the seventh. Freshman Ben Newbert (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Harriton) and Holmes came through with back-to-back singles to put runners at first and second with one out. Cooperman hit a rope but right at the left fielder for the second out and then Shiffer hit a deep fly to center on a 3-1 pitch but it was tracked down by Mercyhurst's Kenny Robinson to end the inning.

In the eighth, Edgette came through with his record-breaking double to right center with two outs but was left stranded and then the Huskies went in order in the ninth against Jeannette to end the ball game.

Raines pitched well other than one rough patch in the third. He was charged with four runs (three earned) on five hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out two to fall to 7-3 on the season. Hinkle allowed a run on two hits in three and one-third inning while Spehrley pitched the final two-thirds of the ninth and allowed a hit while striking out two.

Mercyhurst finished with eight hits with Delsignore going 3-for-5 with four runs batted in. Edgette, OFier, Newbert, and Holmes had the four Huskies' hits in the loss.

Bloomsburg will be off on Friday, May 18, and is scheduled to resume action on Saturday, May 19 at 3:00 p.m. against either the University of Charleston or Seton Hill University - whichever teams loses Friday night's contest - in an elimination game.