CHARLESTON, W. Va. – The Bloomsburg University baseball team suffered its first setback of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional tournament on Thursday night as the Huskies dropped a 15-3 decision at the hands of fourth-ranked, and top-seeded, Seton Hill University at the Welch Athletic Complex on the campus of the University of Charleston. With the loss, Bloomsburg dropped to 24-17 on the season while the Griffins improved to 36-6 on the year.
 
It was the second game of the day for the Huskies, who opened the tournament with a 3-2, ten-inning victory over Charleston. The Griffins, by virtue of earning the top seed, took the field for the first time of the tournament against Bloomsburg and took advantage of being more rested from the outset.
 
Redshirt sophomore Jared Marshman (Berwick, Pa./Berwick), who propelled the Huskies to their second consecutive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship in game three against the Griffins last Saturday, got the ball for Bloomsburg as he looked to give the Huskies their second victory of the day.
 
Seton Hill, however, had other ideas as it scored four times in the bottom of the first inning to take a 4-0 advantage. Derek Orndorff started the scoring with an RBI single and then Vincenzo Rauso capped off the inning with a three-run home run to left field for the big blow of the frame.
 
The Griffins went to the long ball again in the bottom of the third as they got another three-run home run – this time from Jack Oberdorf – to grab a 7-0 lead. Following the round-tripper from Oberdorf, redshirt freshman Logan Hile (Winfield, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) came on in relief and recorded the final out of the inning.
 
Seton Hill started another two-out rally in the fourth as the Griffins put two runners on base against Hile. Redshirt freshman Alex Cornell (Drexel Hill, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) replaced Hile and allowed a two-run double to Rauso as Seton Hill extended its lead to 9-0.
 
The Griffins added another run in the fifth, three in the seventh, and two in the eighth against a combination of Cornell and freshman Nick Heubel (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West).
 
Bloomsburg generated its offense in the top of the seventh as it scored three times against Seton Hill reliever, Marshall McGraw. Senior Gianni Sinatore (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) led off the inning with a single and then came in to score on a two-run home run to left field from redshirt junior Ben Newbert (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Harriton) which, at the time, cut the Seton Hill advantage to 10-2. The round-tripper was Newbert's seventh of the season and third of the playoffs.
 
The Huskies, however, were not done. Senior Cole Swiger (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin) walked and then advanced to second when senior Chad Cooperman (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) was hit by a pitch to put two runners on with nobody out. Two batters later, redshirt junior Jake Reed (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) walked to load the bases and redshirt sophomore Anthony Viggiano (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) followed with a sacrifice fly to right that scored Swiger for the final run of the inning.
 
Marshman dropped to 5-3 on the season as he lasted only two and two-thirds innings. Hile, Cornell, and Heubel finished out the game for the Huskies on the mound. On the flip side, Jared Kollar went six scoreless innings for Seton Hill and allowed only three hits while striking out eight. He improved to 5-0 on the season.
 
The Huskies could muster only five hits against four Seton Hill pitchers as Viggiano, redshirt junior Kyle OFier (Pittston Township, Pa./Pittston Area), Sinatore, Newbert, and Reed each had one hit. Seton Hill, meanwhile, had 18 hits.
 
Bloomsburg, who won four elimination games during its run to its second straight PSAC title, will look to stave off elimination on Friday night, May 28, when it takes on the winner of the Charleston-West Virginia State contest. First pitch from the Welch Athletic Complex is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.