MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Senior Cole Swiger (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin) delivered a two-out RBI single in the top of the tenth inning to lift the third-seeded Bloomsburg University baseball team to a ten-inning, 7-6 victory at top-seeded Millersville University on Sunday afternoon in game one of the best-of-three eastern division semifinal series of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) tournament. The Huskies improved to 20-14 on the season while the Marauders dropped to 27-12. It was just Millersville's third loss in its last 14 games at Cooper Park, with two of those setbacks coming at the hands of Bloomsburg.

The only lower-seeded team to advance to the semifinal round - east or west - after four quarterfinal games on Wednesday afternoon, the Huskies carried that momentum into Sunday afternoon as they never trailed the Marauders in the opener to earn the all-important game-one victory. Following redshirt sophomore Jared Marshman's (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) gem at West Chester in the quarterfinals, pitching was sensational again for the Huskies on Sunday as senior JJ Spehrley (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville Area), redshirt freshman Logan Hile (Winfield, Pa./Selinsgrove Area), and redshirt freshman Nate Baranski (Larksville, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) held the potent Millersville offense at bay for much of the afternoon. Four of the six Marauder runs were unearned and the trio combined to allow only two walks while striking out nine - just two shy of a season-most for Millersville during the season.

Offensively, Swiger finished 3-for-6 with the game-winning RBI single in the tenth, while senior Gianni Sinatore (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) was on base in all six plate appearances as he finished 2-for-2 with four walks and a pair of runs scored. Senior Andrew Holmes (Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Egg Harbor Township) went 2-for-4 with his fourth home run of the season while redshirt junior Carter Chasanov (Magnolia, Del./Polytech) also homered in the victory - his seventh of the year. Bloomsburg finished with ten hits and worked a season-high 12 walks against six Millersville pitchers.

After a scoreless first inning, Holmes put the Huskies on the board in the top of the second with a one-out solo home run to right field off of Millersville starter, Conor Cook, to give Bloomsburg a 1-0 advantage. It was Holmes' fourth round-tripper of the year and the 19th of his collegiate career. Then, in the third, Chasanov belted a one-out solo home run to left field off of Cook to extend the Huskies' lead to 2-0. Chasanov's home run moved him into a tie for the team lead - with Sinatore and redshirt junior Kyle OFier (Pittston Township, Pa./Pittston Area) - with eight this season. It was the tenth of his career.

Bloomsburg added another run in the top of the fourth to push the margin to 3-0. Sinatore drew a walk to lead off the inning and then advanced to third with nobody out after a pair of wild pitches from Cook. Redshirt sophomore Tyler Wiik (Fogelsville, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh) brought Sinatore home with an RBI groundout for the lone run of the frame.

The Marauders finally solved Spehrley in the bottom of the fifth as they got on the board with a single run to cut the Huskies' lead to 3-1. Millersville's first run of the day scored after a leadoff single, a sacrifice bunt, a wild pitch, and then a balk. But, as they did all afternoon, the Huskies got the run right back in the top of the sixth to reclaim a three-run lead at 4-1. Sinatore led off with a walk against reliever Aidan Welch and then promptly stole second. After a groundout advanced him to third, Sinatore trotted home on a sacrifice fly from redshirt junior Jake Reed (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) for the inning's only run.

Millersville scored an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth against Spehrley before Hile came in from the bullpen with one out in the frame to induce an inning-ending double play to prevent further damage.

Again, the Huskies got the run right back in the top of the seventh to take a 5-2 lead. Chasanov led off the inning with a walk and then came in to score on a two-out RBI single from Holmes to give Bloomsburg its three-run lead right back. The Huskies loaded the bases with two outs, but Andrew Mayhew came out of the bullpen to record the final out to keep the visitors from breaking the game open.

However, Millersville tied the game at 5-5 in the home half of the seventh on a two-out, three-run home run from Cole Friese off of Hile. All three runs in the inning were unearned as the Friese at-bat occurred because of an error earlier in the frame. The Marauders put their next two runners on against Hile, but Baranski came in to record the final out.

After a scoreless eighth by both teams, the Huskies took a 6-5 lead in the top of the ninth. Holmes led off with a walk and then was lifted for freshman pinch-runner Brady Gibble (Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson). After a strikeout, Sinatore reached on an infield single with Gibble's speed just beating a potential force out at second base. Wiik followed with a single to left-center to drive home Gibble to put the Huskies in front. Bloomsburg would load the bases with two outs, but Millersville reliever Christian Wingard recorded a strikeout to end the threat.

Baranski retired the first batter in the bottom of the ninth and then got to a full count against Luke Trainer before lightning came, forcing about a 40-45 minute delay. Baranski came back out, and Trainer deposited the first pitch he saw following the delay over right-center field fence to tie the game at 6-6. The redshirt freshman then struck out Friese, allowed a two-out single to Eric Callahan, and retired Justin Taylor on a fly ball to center to force extra innings.

Wyatt Tyson came out of the bullpen for Millersville and promptly got the first out of the inning before allowing a one-out walk to redshirt junior Ben Newbert (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Harriton) to give the Huskies a baserunner. Freshman pinch-hitter Wyatt Metzger (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) hit a slow chopper to third to get Newbert into scoring position with two outs. Swiger then delivered with a single through the left side of the infield to bring home Newbert for what proved to be the game-winning run.

Baranski came back out for the tenth and got the first two outs of the inning before allowing a single to Tyler Wright. Wright stole second but was left stranded when Baranski struck out Jimmy Losh to end the game.

Baranski picked up the victory as he improved to 4-1 on the season. He allowed a run on three hits in 3.1 innings with a pair of strikeouts. Spehrley gave the Huskies a great start as he went 5.1 innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits. He walked one and struck out seven. Hile allowed three runs (zero earned) on two hits and a walk in an inning-and-a-third.

Tyson, meanwhile, dropped to 2-3 for Millersville with the loss in relief.

Bloomsburg finished with ten hits - three from Swiger and two each from Holmes and Sinatore. Chasanov, Wiik, and redshirt junior Jared Burcin (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) had the other hits for the Huskies. Meanwhile, with his walk in the eighth inning, Reed has now reached base at least once in 23 consecutive games. The Huskies had at least one baserunner in each inning except the first and put the leadoff runner aboard - all via walks - in six straight innings. Five of Bloomsburg's seven runners who scored reached base because of free passes.

Millersville had eleven hits - three each from Trainer and Callahan.

Due to a rain delay and projected inclement weather the remainder of the afternoon, the teams will now conclude the series on Monday, May 17, with game two scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. Game three, if necessary, would follow. The series winner will head to Seton Hill, who swept Mercyhurst on Sunday afternoon, for the PSAC Championship. The title series is scheduled to occur on Friday, May 21, and Saturday, May 22.