GREENSBURG, Pa. – The sixth-ranked Griffins of Seton Hill University had not lost at their home field all season – until Friday afternoon.

For the second straight series, freshman left-hander Michael Standen (Drexel Hill, Pa./Monsignor Bonner) did it again in a do-or-die situation. The southpaw went the distance in game two on Friday as he allowed two runs on five hits while striking out a career-high 11 to lift the Bloomsburg University baseball team to a 9-2 victory to force a decisive game three in the battle for the 2021 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship. Seton Hill took game one, 7-5, before the Huskies staved off elimination in the nightcap. Bloomsburg moved to 22-16 on the season, while Seton Hill moved to 35-5 overall.

Coming off of a complete-game, seven-inning shutout in game three of the semifinal round on Monday afternoon at Millersville University to send the Huskies to the championship series, Standen was, again, at his best on Friday. After striking out a then career-high ten against the Marauders, he came back on three days rest to throw 110 pitches and post a new career-high with 11 strikeouts without walking a batter for the second straight start. The lefty retired 22 of the final 24 batters he faced (including the last eight in a row), allowing only a pair of singles after Seton Hill did most of its damage in the second inning.

Meanwhile, the offense was led by redshirt sophomore Anthony Viggiano (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) who drove in a career-high six runs, with the big blow coming in the third inning when he belted a grand slam home run off of Seton Hill starter, Marshall McGraw. He added a two-run double in the fifth inning to put the icing on the cake.

The Griffins did their damage against Standen in the top of the second inning when they scored two runs on three hits to take a 2-0 lead. But, the Huskies' offense exploded with a six-run bottom of the second inning to take a 6-2 advantage.

Redshirt junior Ben Newbert (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Harriton) led off the inning with a single, and then senior Andrew Holmes (Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Egg Harbor Township) was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second with nobody out. McGraw retired the next two hitters but then walked redshirt junior Jake Reed (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown), the ninth hitter in the Bloomsburg lineup, to load the bases with two outs. Viggiano then crushed a 1-2 pitch from McGraw over the left-field fence to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 advantage. It was Viggiano's third home run of the year while Reed's walk extended his streak to 27 consecutive games reaching base at least once.

Bloomsburg was not done in the second as redshirt junior Carter Chasanov (Magnolia, Del./Polytech) reached first after a strikeout, and then redshirt junior Kyle OFier (Pittston Township, Pa./Pittston Area) blasted his ninth home run of the year over the right-field fence to extend the Bloomsburg lead to 6-2.

With Standen dealing, the Huskies essentially put the game out of reach with three more runs in the fifth to take a 9-2 advantage. A pitch hit Holmes to lead off the inning, and then senior Cole Swiger (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin) ripped a single to start the rally. After a wild pitch, redshirt junior Jared Burcin (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) singled to center to drive home Holmes for a 7-2 advantage. Viggiano followed with a double off the left-field fence to bring home Burcin and Swiger for the final scoring.

Standen was the story, however, as he breezed through the potent Seton Hill lineup to improve to 4-2 on the season. In his two postseason starts, both in elimination games, he has two complete-game victories, allowing two runs on nine hits in 16 innings with no walks and 21 strikeouts.

McGraw, meanwhile, suffered his first loss of the year for Seton Hill as he allowed six runs (four earned) on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

Bloomsburg out-hit Seton Hill, 10-5, in the nightcap, with Viggiano, Chasanov, OFier, and Newbert each collecting a pair of hits. Viggiano's previous career-best in RBI was four against Millersville back on April 23.

Game one was a back-and-forth battle that saw three Bloomsburg pitchers combine to allow only two hits but suffer a 7-5 setback. Ten walks and a pair of Huskies' errors proved to be costly in the opener.

Senior JJ Spehrley (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville Area) got the ball in game one for the Huskies and matched Seton Hill starter, Jared Kollar, pitch for pitch during the first three innings as neither team had a run – or a hit – through three. Bloomsburg had two baserunners – both on walks – over the first three innings and left a runner stranded at third in the top of the third. Seton Hill, meanwhile, registered three baserunners – all on free passes – through the first three.

After the Huskies were retired in order in the fourth, Seton Hill finally broke through with four runs – on one hit – in the home half of the frame to take a 4-0 advantage. The Griffins loaded the bases with one out on a pair of walks and a fielder's choice against Spehrley to start the inning. After the right-hander registered the second out of the inning, Tyler Peterson belted a 3-2 pitch over the center-field fence for a grand slam home run to break the scoreless tie.

Bloomsburg answered back with an unearned run in the top of the fifth against Kollar to cut the Griffin advantage to 4-1. Senior Gianni Sinatore (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) led off the frame by reaching on an error and then advanced to second on a single from Swiger. Sophomore Tyler Wiik (Fogelsville, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh) followed with a single, with Sinatore coming in to score on a throw to second to try to catch Swiger straying too far off the base. Seton Hill reliever Ben Vicini, however, got out of the jam without any further damage.

Redshirt freshman Logan Hile (Winfield, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) pitched around a one-out walk in the bottom of the fifth, and the offense went right back to work in the top of the sixth as Bloomsburg scored four runs on four hits to take a 5-4 lead.

In the sixth, Chasanov and OFier started the inning with consecutive singles, and then, two batters later, Holmes was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Sinatore ripped a double off the right-field fence to plate Chasanov and OFier, cutting the Seton Hill lead to 4-3 and, after a pitch hit Swiger, Wiik singled to score both Sinatore and Holmes to give the Huskies their first lead of the game at 5-4.

However, walks plagued the Huskies in the bottom of the sixth, as Seton Hill scored twice to re-capture a one-run lead at 6-5. Hile issued back-to-back free passes to start the inning and, two batters later, Peterson singled through the left side of the infield to bring home the tying run. The second run of the inning – and eventual winning run – came in to score on a wild pitch. Freshman Dylan Lubinski (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury) came on with two on and two out and retired PSAC West Player of the Year, Tommy Pellis, to end the inning.

The Griffins took advantage of a pair of Bloomsburg errors in the bottom of the seventh to take on an unearned insurance run, and the back-end of the Seton Hill bullpen slammed the door on the Huskies to take a one-game-to-none lead in the series.

Bloomsburg out-hit Seton Hill, 8-2, in the opening game, with Swiger and Wiik leading the way with two hits apiece for the Huskies. Sinatore went 1-for-4 with two runs scored and a pair of RBI. Peterson had both Seton Hill hits and drove in five.

The difference was the walks – Bloomsburg pitchers walked ten and struck out nine while Seton Hill hurlers walked only two and struck out 14.

Spehrley went four and allowed four runs on one hit with five walks and six strikeouts. Hile suffered the loss in relief after allowing two runs on one hit, four walks, and one strikeout. Lubinski was sensational to keep the Huskies in the game as the right-hander allowed an unearned run on no hits, one walk, and two strikeouts in two-and-a-third innings.

Vicini got the win despite allowing four runs on five hits in two-and-a-third innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out three. Kollar went four-and-two-thirds and allowed an unearned run on two hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts. Nash Bryan struck out a pair in the ninth for his fifth save of the year.

The third and decisive game to determine the 2021 PSAC Champion will get underway on Saturday, May 22, at noon. The winner of the championship receives an automatic berth into the NCAA Division II tournament. Meanwhile, the runner-up will learn of its postseason fate when the NCAA hosts its selection show on Sunday night, May 23. Postseason teams will be announced on NCAA.com beginning at 10:00 p.m.