Baseball | 2/22/2020 8:17:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 HAMPTON, Va. - The Bloomsburg University baseball team opened the 2020 regular season on Saturday with a split on day one of the Builder Invitational hosted by the Newport News Apprentice School. The Huskies defeated the host Builders, 8-7, in the opener before falling to Virginia State University by a 7-3 final in the nightcap.

Senior Chad Cooperman (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) took the mound for the Huskies in game one and he was dialed in early as he got through the first two innings without allowing a baserunner and striking out five of the first six batters he faced.

Bloomsburg gave the righthander a lead in the top of the third as the Huskies plated four runs against Builders' righthander Tyler Winegrad. Junior Jake Reed (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) led off the frame with a walk and then advanced to third on a double from senior Nate Krizan (Montoursville, Pa./Loyalsock Township). Senior Andrew Holmes (Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Egg Harbor Township) followed with a walk to load the bases and, two batters later, junior Jared Burcin (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) drove home the first two runs of the season with a single through the right side of the infield to score Reed and Krizan. Junior Ben Newbert (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Harriton) added the other two runs as he doubled home both Holmes and Burcin to push the lead to 4-0.

The Builders came back with a run in the third against Cooperman as James Williams led off the inning with a triple and scored on a run-scoring single from Hunter Riss. Then, in the bottom of the fourth, The Apprentice School inched closer as it added two runs - one unearned - to cut the Huskies' lead to 4-3.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Builders knotted the game at 4-4 on a sacrifice fly from Thomas Packert. But, in the top half of the sixth, redshirt sophomore Carter Chasanov (Magnolia, Del./Polytech) led off the inning with a single, stole second, and eventually came in to score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Krizan to give the Huskies a 5-4 advantage.

Sophomore Jared Marshman (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) was summoned from the bullpen in the bottom of the sixth and allowed a one-out single to Williams before getting Riss to bounce into a 5-4-3 inning-ending double play. Bloomsburg grew the lead to 8-4 in the top of the seventh on run-scoring singles from senior Gianni Sinatore (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) and junior Jared Schram (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) and an RBI double from Reed.

Marshman pitched around a two-out walk in the bottom of the seventh but then ran into trouble in the home half of the eighth as the Builders pulled to within 8-7. Braden Lambert drove home the first run of the inning with an RBI double and, two batters later, Riss followed with a two-run single to cut the Huskies' lead to one. Freshman Nate Baranski (Larksville, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) came on with runners at first and second and one out and retired Lou Picolo on a fly ball to left and then struck out Gevin Nixon to end the frame.

Baranski stayed on in the ninth and allowed a leadoff single to Maxwell Burcham before striking out the final three batters for his first collegiate save.

Cooperman got the win after allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out ten. Winegrad suffered the loss for the Builders as he allowed five runs on seven hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out three to fall to 2-1 on the year.

The Huskies had 11 hits in the opener - two each from Newbert, Chasanov, and Reed. The Builders had four players with two hits apiece.

In game two, senior JJ Spehrley (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville Area) was given the ball for the Huskies and was staked to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. However, Virginia State answered with a run in the top of the second and two in the top of the third to take a 3-2 advantage. 

Freshman Alex Cornell (Drexel Hill, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) came on to pitch the top of the fifth but struggled with his command and lasted only two-thirds of an inning while allowing a pair of runs as the Trojans took a 5-2 lead. Senior Ed Herbener (Drums, Pa./MMI Preparatory School) allowed a run in the top of the sixth before the Huskies got a run back in the home half as Virginia State led 6-3 through six innings.

Herbener settled down but did allow a final run in the top of the eighth as the Trojans earned the 7-3 victory.

Spehrley went the first four innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits while walking two and striking out eight. Cornell allowed two runs on a hit and three walks in two-thirds of an inning before Herbener finished off the game by tossing four-and-one-third innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits with two walks and five punchouts.

Bloomsburg had ten hits in game two - three from sophomore Tyler Wiik (Fogelsville, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh) and two each from Holmes and Reed. Holmes belted the Huskies' first home run of the season in the nightcap.

The Huskies will be back in action on Sunday, February 23, when they take on The Apprentice School at 10:00 a.m. followed by a contest against Virginia State at 1:00 p.m.