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MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Less than 16 hours after the final pitch of Thursday's 18-inning marathon loss to Mercyhurst University in the opening game of the NCAA Atlantic Regional I Tournament, the Bloomsburg University baseball team returned to Cooper Park to square off against the region's top seed - and host - Millersville University on Friday morning looking to stave off elimination. Senior Ashton Raines (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) made sure the Huskies' season did not come to an end as he tossed a complete-game three-hitter and helped Bloomsburg to a 2-1 victory over Millersville to stay alive in the regional playoffs. The Huskies improved to 35-15 overall while the Marauders dropped to 38-15 on the season.

The victory was the program's first in the NCAA playoffs since the Huskies won the North Atlantic Regional Championship back in 1995 and advanced to the Division II College World Series. Last season, the Huskies went two-and-out with losses in the regional tournament to Mercyhurst and Charleston and then suffered the heart-breaking loss to the Lakers on Thursday. This year's appearance in the NCAA postseason is just the third in program history.

Raines improved to 8-2 on the season allowing only a run on three hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out four for his fourth complete-game of the season - first of the nine-inning variety. He threw 105 pitches - 67 for strikes - and recorded 14 fly-ball outs and nine ground-outs. Over his last five starts, Raines is 4-1 and has allowed only three earned runs over his last 35 innings (0.77 ERA). He has also given up only 16 hits over the same time span.

While Raines got all of the headlines, it was the play of redshirt freshman Carter Chasanov (Magnolia, Del./Polytech) that helped the Huskies earn their first NCAA postseason victory in 24 years. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Millersville's Ben Snyder launched a 3-2 pitch to left-center that Chasanov was able to chase down and make a leaping catch at the fence to rob a potential game-tying home run and send Bloomsburg to the final day of the regional tournament.

The Marauders jumped in front when Cole Friese launched a solo home run with one out in the bottom of the third as the hosts took a 1-0 advantage. That was the last hit Raines allowed after giving up a pair of two-out singles in the second. The only other baserunner to reach against Raines after the solo home run was Ben Snyder who was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning. Raines retired the last 18 batters he faced.

Bloomsburg finally solved the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division Pitcher of the Year, Eli Nabholz, with a run in the top of the sixth inning to knot the score at 1-1. Senior Ryan Shiffer (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) drew a one-out walk and came all the way around to score when sophomore Kyle OFier (Pittston Township, Pa./Pittston Area) laced a double down the right field line on a 2-2 pitch with two outs in the inning.

Then, in the top of the seventh, sophomore Jake Reed (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) drew a one-out walk and scored from first on a double to right-center by junior Andrew Holmes (Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Egg Harbor Township) to give the Huskies their first lead of the day.

Raines did the rest, throwing ten pitches in the seventh, a dozen pitches in the eighth, and eleven pitches in the ninth to shut the door on the Marauders.

Nabholz suffered just his second loss of the season as he dropped to 9-2 overall after allowing two runs on three hits with three walks and eight strikeouts. Andrew Mayhew came on for the final two innings and allowed a hit and a walk in a pair of scoreless innings.

Bloomsburg had only four hits in the victory - two from sophomore Ben Newbert (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Harriton) and the huge RBI doubles from OFier and Holmes. Millersville's three hits came off the bats of Friese, Eric Callahan, and Dominic Hardaway.

Regardless of the outcome of the Millersville-Mercyhurst game which is currently underway, the Huskies will get a second crack at the Lakers on Saturday morning at Cooper Park in another elimination game for Bloomsburg. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.

If Mercyhurst defeats Millersville, the Huskies would have to beat the Lakers twice on Saturday to advance in the regional tournament. If Millersville defeats Mercyhurst, Bloomsburg would have to beat the Lakers and then play the Marauders in a winner-take-all game at 2:30 p.m.