PHILADELPHIA, PA -
Cole Swiger (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin) tallied four hits and four runs batted in on the day as the Bloomsburg University baseball team split a pair of games at the University of the Sciences Sunday afternoon. A late Huskies rally came up short in a 7-6 game one loss to the Devils, but Bloomsburg would bounce back with a 9-4 win in game two to clinch the 3-1 weekend series win.
After kicking off his 2019 season with two homers in Game two Saturday, Swiger kept it rolling early in game one Sunday, knocking in a pair of runs on a single to left in the top of the second that extended the Bloomsburg lead to 3-0. The Huskies other run came in the top of the first when
Carter Chasanov (Magnolia, Del./Polytech) scored on a wild pitch.
The Bloomsburg lead was short-lived, however, as the University of the Sciences would tally three runs in the bottom half of the inning to knot it at 3-3 through two innings. Nate Steele would give the Devils their first lead of the game in the top of the third with a solo shot off of Huskies starter
JJ Spehrley (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville Area). Spehrley surrended three earned runs on five hits in three innings for Bloomsburg, but did strike out four.
The Huskies would briefly tie game one at 4-4 in the top of the fourth when
Gianni Sinatore (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) scored on an error, but the Devils wasted little time in regaining control, scoring three runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 7-4 lead. Steele was once again the catalyst for the University of the Sciences, knocking a two-run single to right that scored Jordan Stennett and Matt McClennen.
Bloomsburg chipped away in the sixth, plating two runs on a
Kyle OFier (Pittston Township, Pa./Pittston Area) sacrifice fly and an RBI single from
Nate Krizan (Montoursville, Pa./Home School) off reliever Ryan Johnson, but Johnson would get out of the jam and toss a scoreless seventh to earn the save for University of the Sciences.
Swiger went 2-for-4 with two RBI in game one, while Sinatore went 2-for-4 with three runs scored. Steele went 3-for-3 with three runs batted in and two runs scored for the Devils.
Steele would stay hot for the University of the Sciences in game two, belting his second solo homer of the day to give the Devils a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second, but the lead would not last long, as the Huskies erupted for seven runs in the top of the third to take a commanding 7-1 lead. Krizan got the scoring started with an RBI double that scored Swiger, and
Andrew Holmes (Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Egg Harbor Township) followed with a single that scored OFier. After a wild pitch and a pair of walks plated three more Bloomsburg runs, Swiger capped the big inning with a two-run single that scored
Ryan Shiffer (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) and
Jared Burcin (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty).
The Huskies would tack two more runs on a Chasanov sacrifice fly in the seventh and a Sinatore sac fly in the eighth, and pitcher
Mark Bobko (Metuchen, N.J./St. Joseph Metuchen) would shut the door with three strikeouts in a scoreless inning of work.
Chad Cooperman (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) was marvelous on the bump for the Huskies in game two, fanning nine and allowing just two earned runs on four hits over six innings.
James Reardon IV (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) struck out five and allowed two runs in two innings. At the plate, Swiger was 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored, while Shiffer was 1-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
The Huskies will travel to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this Saturday, March 2, for a three-game series with Winston-Salem State. First pitch with the Rams is set for 1:00 p.m. Saturday.
