MANSFIELD, Pa. – The Bloomsburg baseball team split a pair of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division games during a road doubleheader at Mansfield on Saturday.
 
The Huskies (22-14, 12-9 PSAC East) won a pitcher's duel during the first game, beating the Mounties (12-28, 3-17 PSAC East) by a score of 2-1 behind the arm of Nate Baranski (Larksville, Pa./Wyoming Valley West). Mansfield then took the second game by a final tally of 11-7.
 
In the first game, Bloomsburg got out to its first lead in the third inning when Jonathan LaBarbera (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) hit a solo home run. The Huskies then scored another run on a sacrifice fly that was hit by Wyatt Metzger (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) to make it a 2-0 game. Mansfield was able to score one run in the bottom half of the inning on a throwing error, but that would be the only run they would score as Baranski was dealing.
 
Baranski pitched all seven innings to pick up his fourth win of the year, and the right-hander allowed just three hits and one unearned run while striking out seven hitters.
 
At the plate, the Huskies finished with three hits. Eli Riley (Harrisburg, Pa./Mercersburg Academy) had a double and Brady Gibble (Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson) singled in the fourth inning to go along with LaBarbera's home run.
 
The second game saw more scoring and it started right away when Bloomsburg scored two runs in the top of the first inning. Metzger knocked in the first run on an RBI single, then Carter Chasanov (Magnolia, Del./Polytech) had an RBI double for the second run of the inning. Mansfield was able to answer in the bottom half, however, with a three-run homer by Jacob Houtz to take a 3-2 lead.
 
The Mounties hit an RBI single in the second to make it a 4-2 game, but Brady Ebbert (Etters, Pa./Red Land) homered in the top of the third to make it a 4-3 game. Mansfield made it a two-run game again in the third when Ryan Scott was walked during a bases-loaded situation. Bloomsburg was able to tie the game up in the sixth, however, when Tyler Wiik (Fogelsville, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh) and Brandon Ernst (Limerick, Pa./Spring Ford) hit solo home runs to knot everything up at 5-5.
 
Mansfield was able to score six runs across the next two innings to regain the lead, and it was one they would hang onto for the remainder of the game. Bloomsburg attempted to come back in the ninth as Chasanov and Dansby Keenan (Cleveland Heights, Oh./Benedictine) hit solo home runs, but Mansfield was able to work out of the inning to hold on for an 11-7 win.
 
Chasanov was 3-for-4 with two runs batted in, one run scored, a double and a home run. Wiik and Ernst both had two hits, then four other players had one hit apiece to bring Bloomsburg's total to 11.
 
On the mound, Scott Gilbert (Scranton, Pa./Abington Heights) got the start and pitched 2.1 innings. Michael Standen (Drexel Hill, Pa./Monsignor Bonner) threw a solid 4.1 innings, striking out three and allowing three runs on six hits.
 
Following Saturday's doubleheader, Bloomsburg sits in the No. 4 spot of the PSAC East standings with a 12-9 conference record.
 
The Huskies will be back in action on Tuesday with a home game against Pitt-Johnstown. The game is scheduled to begin at 3:00 PM.