BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The cold temperatures didn't cool down the hot bats for the Bloomsburg University baseball team as the Huskies hit eight total home runs during an 18-2 win against Kutztown at home on Friday.
 
Bloomsburg's Ben Newbert (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Harriton) led the squad's offensive output by hitting three long balls as the redshirt senior finished 4-6 with seven runs batted in and four runs scored. Kyle OFier (Pittston Township, Pa./Pittston Area), Carter Chasanov (Magnolia, Del./Polytech), Brady Gibble (Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson), Brandon Ernst (Limerick, Pa./Spring Ford) and Jared Burcin (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) all homered throughout the contest.
 
The three home runs for Newbert give him a total of 33 for his career, which is third on the program's all-time list. In front of Newbert on the all-time list is OFier, who now has 35 home runs and is two away from tying Matt Karchner (37 HR) as the all-time leader.
 
The Huskies scored their first eight runs against Kutztown on home runs. Newbert had a solo HR in the first inning and Ernst started off the team's seven-run second inning with a solo shot to left field. Gibble then hit a three-run homer and that was followed up by a Chasanov home run in the very next at-bat. After Newbert doubled, OFier hit his two-run homer to give the team an 8-0 lead after two innings.

The team's eight runs through two innings would've been enough as starting pitcher Jared Marshman (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) allowed just one run through seven innings to pick up the win on the mound. Marshman finished the game with 12 strikeouts and gave up just four hits. Zach Steen (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) tossed two innings, striking out three and allowing one earned run on one hit. 
 
In the third inning, Bloomsburg scored five insurance runs with four of them coming on a grand slam by Newbert. Anthony Viggiano (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) scored earlier in the inning by reaching home on a wild pitch. The two teams scored one run in the fourth and Bloomsburg had a three-run inning in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 17-1 ballgame. The three runs in the fifth came on a solo homer by Newbert and two-run home run by Burcin. 
 
Jake Reed (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) scored in the sixth for Bloomsburg and Kutztown had a solo HR in the top of the eighth to make it 18-2, which is where the score sat for the remainder of the game.
 
Gibble finished the day second on the team in RBI with three as the sophomore went 2-4 with two runs scored. OFier and Burcin finished with two RBI and Wyatt Metzger (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) had an RBI double on a day he went 2-5 with one RBI and one run scored. Chasanov scored twice and had an RBI with his solo HR. 
 
In all, the Huskies finished the game with 15 total hits, eight homers and 10 extra-base hits. Nine different players recorded a hit in the contest and four players had at least two hits.
 
The win gives Bloomsburg an overall record of 12-9-1 (4-2-1 PSAC) as the team gets ready to head to Kutztown for a doubleheader on Saturday. The first game against the Golden Bears (7-14, 2-5 PSAC) on Saturday is scheduled to begin at 12:00 PM.