BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg University baseball team scored 16 runs over the final three innings in game two to earn a 20-9 victory over visiting West Chester University on Saturday afternoon as the two teams played to a split at Danny Litwhiler Field. The Golden Rams took game one by a 7-2 final. Bloomsburg moved to 6-6 overall and 6-6 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division standings, while West Chester moved to 6-2 overall and 6-2 in divisional play.

The doubleheader took nearly seven hours to "complete" - as it was called due to darkness in the top of the seventh inning of game two. All told, the teams combined for 38 runs on 37 hits (11 home runs), 29 walks, nine hit batters, and eight wild pitches in the two games.

The 20 runs by the Huskies in game two marked the most scored by a Bloomsburg team in one game since defeating Philadelphia University, 21-0, on April 6, 2016, in the first game of a doubleheader. The Huskies reached 20 runs in a game three times during the 2016 campaign.

West Chester jumped on redshirt senior right-hander JJ Spehrley (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville Area) with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning as Mike Ferrara laced a two-run double to right-center to give the visitors a 2-0 advantage. The Huskies answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first against West Chester game-two starter Nick Cataldi. Redshirt senior Andrew Holmes (Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Egg Harbor Township) led off the inning with a four-pitch walk and came in to score when redshirt junior Carter Chasanov (Magnolia, Del./Polytech) belted a two-run home run - his third of the season - to tie the contest at 2-2.

After a scoreless second inning for both teams, the Golden Rams took a 5-2 lead against Spehrley with three runs in the top of the third. After the right-hander struck out the leadoff hitter, a one-out walk followed by a two-run home run from Ferrara gave the visitors a 4-2 lead. Spehrley's command then eluded him as back-to-back walks started another threat with one away. Joe Kaleck singled to plate the inning's third run, and, after another walk, Spehrley's afternoon came to an end. Redshirt freshman Logan Hile (Winfield, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) came on in relief with two on and one out and was able to get a strikeout and a flyball to right field to prevent further damage.

The Huskies responded with two runs in the bottom of the third to cut the West Chester lead to 5-4. A pitch hit Holmes with one out and, two batters later, redshirt junior Kyle OFier (Pittston Township, Pa./Pittston Area) hit a mammoth two-run home run to right-center to pull Bloomsburg within a run. OFier's fourth home run of the season and the 22nd of his career put himself in a tie for fourth on the school's all-time list with Jason Helcoski (1999-02).

West Chester pushed its lead to 6-4 in the top of the fourth as Ferrara drove in his fifth run of the game with an RBI double. But, Bloomsburg responded again - this time with a five-run inning - to take a 9-6 lead. Redshirt junior Ben Newbert (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Harriton) led off the inning with a double and then scored when redshirt senior Gianni Sinatore (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) belted a two-run shot to left - his first home run of the season - to tie the game at 6-6. It was Sinatore's second home run of his Huskies' career and his first since March 15, 2019, against St. Thomas Aquinas. Two batters later, redshirt senior Cole Swiger (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin) started another rally with a single to left and then advanced to second when a pitch hit redshirt junior Jake Reed (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown). After a walk to Holmes loaded the bases, Chasanov gave the Huskies the lead with a run-scoring groundout as Bloomsburg took a 7-6 advantage. OFier followed with a two-run double to drive home Reed and Holmes as the Huskies pushed their lead to three.

The visitors scored a run in the top of the fifth to cut the Bloomsburg lead to 9-7, but the Huskies exploded for seven runs on just three hits in the home half of the inning to take a 16-7 advantage.

Bloomsburg's first seven batters of the inning reached base as the Huskies broke the game open against the Golden Rams' bullpen. Sinatore and redshirt sophomore Tyler Wiik (Fogelsville, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh) started the rally with back-to-back walks, and then both runners advanced on a bunt single from Swiger. After a wild pitch plated Sinatore for the inning's first run, Reed walked to re-load the bases. Holmes then blasted a grand slam home run to left-center - his first home run of the season - to give the Huskies a 14-7 lead. But, the Huskies weren't done as back-to-back walks to Chasanov, and OFier jump-started the offense again. Two batters later, Newbert doubled to right-center to drive home both Chasanov and OFier as Bloomsburg jumped in front, 16-7.

West Chester scored twice in the top of the sixth to cut the Huskies' lead to a touchdown, 16-9. Bloomsburg, however, answered with four runs in the bottom of the sixth to reach the 20-run mark for the first time in five years. Swiger led off the inning with a solo home run to left - his first home run of the season and 22nd of his career, which tied him with OFier and Sulcoski for fourth on the school's all-time list. Reed and Holmes followed with back-to-back singles, and OFier then walked to load the bases with nobody out. The Huskies then scored three consecutive runs on two bases-loaded walks and a bases-loaded hit by a pitch to get to the 20-run plateau.

The Golden Rams started another rally in the top of the seventh as they loaded the bases with one out against redshirt freshman Nate Baranski (Larksville, Pa./Wyoming Valley West). Sophomore Brandon Walters (York, Pa./Central York) was summoned out of the bullpen and threw one pitch before the umpires conversed and decided to end the contest due to darkness.

Hile earned his first collegiate victory as he allowed two runs on four hits in 2.1 innings of relief. He did not walk a batter and struck out five. Cataldi suffered the loss to fall to 1-1 on the year.

West Chester out-hit Bloomsburg, 14-12, in game two, but the Huskies took advantage of 11 walks, four wild pitches, and four hit batters. Holmes reached base all five times and finished 2-for-2 with five runs scored and four runs batted in as he hit the grand slam in the fifth to break the game open. OFier went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, a home run, and four runs batted in. Swiger went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and a home run, while Newbert went 2-for-4 with three RBI. All nine starters reached base at least once in game two.

Game one saw the first collegiate start by freshman Michael Standen (Drexel Hill, Pa./Monsignor Bonner) who had been sensational in his first two relief appearances. However, the freshman left-hander allowed a first-inning run on an RBI double from Justin Horn and then gave up three runs in the second on a two-out, three-run home run from Nick D'Amore, as the visitors raced out to a 4-0 lead.

West Chester threatened again in the third, but redshirt sophomore Jared Marshman (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) came on in relief and prevented further damage.

The visitors added three runs in the top of the fourth against Marshman as West Chester got back-to-back home runs from Drew Jarmuz and Ferrara to push the advantage to 7-0.

Bloomsburg finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth against West Chester starter Culver Hughes as redshirt sophomore Anthony Viggiano (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) and freshman Wyatt Metzger (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) hit back-to-back home runs to break up the shutout bid. It was Viggiano's second home run of the year, while it was the third of the season for Metzger.

Hughes went the distance in game one as he allowed two runs on five hits, walked two, and struck out 11. Standen suffered the loss after allowed four runs on three hits in 2.1 innings. He walked five and struck out three. Marshman pitched the next 3.2 innings and struck out six while redshirt freshman Alex Cornell (Drexel Hill, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) pitched a perfect seventh inning after striking out all three batters he faced.

Viggiano led the Huskies with two hits, while Chasanov, Metzger, and Sinatore had the others in game one.

Bloomsburg will return to action next Friday and Saturday, April 2 and 3, when the Huskies play a four-game series against the Warriors of East Stroudsburg University. The two teams will open in East Stroudsburg on Friday and then reconvene at Danny Litwhiler Field on Saturday. Both doubleheaders are scheduled for noon.