Welcome to Huskies On The Horizon, a weekly update where we will provide a brief recap of last week's sporting events and preview the week ahead so you can follow along with your favorite Bloomsburg University athletic teams!

The baseball team closed out its 2023 regular season with a three-game series to No. 8 Millersville over the weekend. 

The Huskies fell to the Marauders 10-3 on Senior Day at home Friday, then Millersville won both games of a doubleheader on Saturday. 

On Friday, Bloomsburg played with Millersville and trailed by just one run after a solo home run by Brandon Ernst in the fourth made it a 3-2 game, but the Marauders used a six-run fifth inning to pull away for the win. 

Millersville got out to an early lead by scoring two runs in the top of the first on an RBI double and RBI single. Bloomsburg was able to cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the inning, however, when a throwing error by Millersville's catcher allowed Anthony Viggiano (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) to score all the way from first base.
 
The Marauders got that run back in the second inning to make it a two-run game again, scoring one run on an RBI double down the right field line to make the score 3-1.
 
Bloomsburg responded in the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run by Brandon Ernst (Limerick, Pa./Spring Ford), but Millersville's six-run fifth inning made it a 9-2 ball game. The Marauders had four hits and the Huskies had two errors during the six-run rally.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, Viggiano had a solo home run to left field to bring the Huskies back within six. The Huskies then threatened to make a comeback in the bottom of the seventh by loading the bases with two outs, but Millersville's Harry Prince got out of the jam by recording a strikeout.

At the plate, Viggiano went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI on his solo homer. Ernst was 1-for-3 with his home run, and Jonathan LaBarbera (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) and Tyler Wiik (Fogelsville, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh) both went 2-for-4 with two singles apiece.

Jared Marshman (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) was given the start and picked up four strikeouts in five innings. Cole Coolbaugh (Wyoming, Pa./Wyoming Area) had a solid game in relief, recording eight strikeouts in four innings and allowing just one run on four hits. Marshman was given the loss and his record goes to 6-2 on the year.

On Saturday, the Huskies fell 1-0 in a true pitcher's duel in the first game before falling 9-0 in their season finale.
 
Nate Baranski (Larksville, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Justin Taylor singled through the right side with two outs. Millersville scored the only run of the game as Matthew Williams following with a single to left o bring home Taylor.
 
Baranski made quick work of the Marauders lineup despite the two hits in the fifth. The redshirt junior struck out three and did not allow a walk in 6.0 innings. Baranski allowed just three hits and the one earned run.
 
Brandon Ernst (Limerick, Pa./Spring Ford) and Tyler Wiik (Fogelsville, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh) drew back-to-back walks with one out in the top of the seventh, but the Marauders got an inning ending double play to hang on for the narrow win.
 
The game featured just five hits between the two teams, all of which were singles. Graduate student Carter Chasanov (Magnolia, Del./Polytech) accounted for both Husky hits.
 
The first three innings of the second game moved at the same pace as the first game. Millersville got the first hit of the game with two outs in the bottom of the second but could not capitalize. The Marauders got another hit in the bottom of the third while the Huskies were still held hitless to that point.
 
Ernst broke up the no hitter in the top of the fourth with a single to right with two outs, but the Marauders got out of it with a pop up to second to end the frame.
 
Millersville broke open the contest and plated eight run in the bottom of the fourth to take the 8-0 lead. The Marauders' eight runs came on six hits and one Bloomsburg error. The first four runs of the inning came on back-to-back triples before a two-run home run gave Millersville a 4-0 lead. The Marauders continued to play small ball to plate runs with two RBI singles, fielder's choice, double to bring home the final four runs of the inning.
 
The Marauders tacked on one more run in the bottom of the fifth for the 9-0 lead, which held for the remainder of the contest. Millersville left the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh before the Huskies got their final base runner in the top of the eighth. Brady Gibble (Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson) walked with two outs but was stranded on first after a fly out to center.
 
Scott Gilbert (Scranton, Pa./Abington Heights) took the loss for the Huskies after going 3.0 and allowing four runs on five hits and two walks. Gilbert struck out one and hit one batter.
 
Garet Blankenbiller got the win for the Marauders after going 6.0 innings and giving up just one hit and one walk while striking out seven.
 
The Huskies end their season with a 22-17 overall record and a 12-12 slate in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East contests.

Saturday Recap

The softball team finished the season with a remarkable run during the conference tournament that resulted in the team finishing the year as PSAC Runner-Ups.

The Huskies entered the tournament as the fifth and final seed from the Eastern Division and started its postseason run by beating California (Pa.) 13-7 in its opening game Wednesday morning. Later in the day, the squad upset No. 1 seed (East) West Chester by a score of 6-5 in eight innings.

On Thursday, Bloomsburg continued to run the table by beating defending PSAC Champ Kutztown 5-3 to advance to Friday.

The Huskies fell to Shippensburg during their first game on Friday, then the squad kept its postseason run alive by defeating Mercyhurst 3-1 in an elimination game to advance to the championships on Saturday. 

On Sunday in a rematch against Shippensburg, the Raiders were able to get out to a 7-0 lead through five innings of play, but Bloomsburg scored four runs in the top of the sixth and even loaded the bases to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. Shippensburg, however, got out of the jam and had a one-two-three inning in the top of the seventh to win the PSAC title.
 
Shippensburg's early lead began in the first when Caitlyn Martell hit a two-run homer. The Huskies tried to answer in the top of the second as Alex Iseminger (Everett, Pa./Everett Area) led the inning off with a walk and Mia Nemeth (Drums, Pa/Marian Catholic) singled with one out, but a pair of ground outs ended the inning.
 
The Raiders loaded the bases in the bottom of the second, but Callie Sowers (Irwin, Pa/Hempfield Area) drew a pop fly to right field to end the inning. Shippensburg was then able to load the bases in the third  with no outs as it attempted to extend its lead. Sowers again pitched her way out of the jam, but did surrender one run.
 
The Raiders scored their one run in the third on an RBI single to center field, but back-to-back fly outs ended the inning. During the second fly out, a Shippensburg runner tug up from third and appeared to score on the play, but she was ruled out at third base for leaving too early following an appeal.
 
The Huskies got one runner on base in the top of the fourth when Emma Little (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn-Trafford) singled to center field with one out. During the next at-bat, Shippensburg was able to draw a pop up to first base and record the second out of the inning. Bartholomew then made solid contact and hit a line drive out to left field, but it was hit right to the Raiders' left fielder and caught for the third out.
 
Bloomsburg made great contact with the ball all day as it finished with just two strikeouts in 28 plate appearances. Some great defensive plays and "at 'em" balls hit by Bloomsburg kept the Huskies off the scoreboard for a majority of the game.
 
Shippensburg hit a three-run homer in the fourth, then an RBI single in the fifth made it a 7-0 game.
 
Needing to score in a hurry, Bloomsburg was able to respond quickly with its huge four-run sixth inning.
 
Bella Culp (Harrisburg, Pa/Central Dauphin) led the inning off with a single up the middle, then Iseminger singled to center field to put two runners on with one out. A fly out to center field gave Shippensburg its second out of the inning, but an error during the next at-bat kept the inning alive as Nemeth reached first base safely and Culp scored from third.
 
Bartholomew then knocked in the second run of the inning on an RBI single to left field, and pinch hitter Kammy Kropinski (Conshohocken, Pa./Plymouth-Whitemarsh) walked during the next at-bat to load the bases. Following a pitching change, Kayleigh Lenner (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy) drew another walk to score the third run of the inning.
 
With the bases still loaded, Weidlich was hit by a pitch to allow another run to score. Culp, who represented the go-ahead run at the plate, then drilled a ball out to center field during her second at-bat of the inning, but a highlight reel play was made in the outfield by Shippensburg's Taylor Myers. On the hard-hit ball, Myers was able to snag the ball at the warning track and hung on to the catch after slamming into the fence to end the inning.
 
Bloomsburg's Kelly Eberly (Purcellville, Va/Homeschooled) pitched a scoreless sixth inning to keep the deficit to just three heading into the final inning. Shippensburg's Emma Flattery, who was the third pitcher used by the Raiders on Saturday, was able to retire the Huskies in order to close out the game.
 
Culp finished the day with a team-high two hits by going 2-for-4 with a double. Four other Huskies recorded singles to bring the team's total to six. Iseminger was 1-for-3 with a walk and run scored, and Little had a single. Nemeth and Bartholomew both went 1-for-3, and Lenner had an RBI while also walking twice.
 
In the circle, Sowers finished with three strikeouts in three innings and was given the loss. Eberly allowed just one run on two hits during her three innings in relief. The two pitchers combined to strand a total of 11 Shippensburg baserunners with some clutch pitching. 
 
The postseason run caps off the 2023 season for a Bloomsburg team that finished the year 25-33 (15-17 PSAC East) and did not have a senior on its roster.
 

Cal (Pa.) Recap

West Chester Recap

Kutztown Recap

Shippensburg Recap

Mercyhurst Recap

The men's track and field team will be back in action this weekend at the PSAC Championships after competing in the LHU Qualifier for its last regular season meet last weekend.

At the LHU Qualifier, junior Matthew Whitaker led the Bloomsburg men's track & field team with an NCAA provisional and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference qualifying mark in the javelin. The Huskies finished the day with 24 top-10 finishes and two event wins at the LHU Qualifier, Saturday afternoon.
 
Whitaker won the javelin with a throw of 58.59 meters (192' 3") and is currently ranked 44th in the NCAA DII. He is second in the PSAC and second in the Atlantic region. Jackson Baldini (Mechanicsburg, PA/Mechanicsburg Area) took fourth overall with a throw of 46.73 meters (153' 4").
 
Doug Walsh (Old Forge, Pa./Holy Cross High School) collected a pair of top-10 finishes as he finished third in the discus (28.53 meters • 93' 7") and fourth in the shot put (10.44 meters • 34' 3").
 
In the jumps, Andrew Kane led the way with a third place finish in the long jump at 6.38 meters (20' 11.25"). Josh Leininger (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) had a pair of top-10 jumps as he took fourth in the triple (11.87 meters • 38' 11.5") and fifth in the long jump (6.06 meters • 19' 10.75"). Andrew Wasilewski (Kulpmont, Pa./Mount Carmel Area High School) finished eighth in the long jump at 5.60 meters (18' 4.5"). Dillon Steffy (Elliotsburg, Pa./West Perry High School) cleared 3.45 meters (11' 3.75") in the pole vault to take fourth.
 
Brenden Gardner grabbed a pair of second-place runs in the 110-meter hurdles (16.61) and the 400-meter hurdles (58.51), which Kane finished third in the 110-meter race at 18.03. Robert Wilson (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) finished third in the 400-meter hurdles at 58.70.
 
Matthew Campbell (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) won the 5,000-meter run with a time of 16:24.83 while Zachary Ryan took fifth in the 1-mile run with a time of 5:14.55.
 
Stephen Suwala (Brigantine, N.J./Cedar Creek) set a personal-best and qualified for the PSAC championships as he took third overall in the 800-meter run at 1:57.63. Richard Loughran came in fifth at 2:02.27,
 
The Huskies placed three in the top-10 of the 400-meter dash as Brady Dowell (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Township) led the way in fifth with a time of 51.39. Andrew Basile (Easton, Pa./Easton Area) took sixth at 52.04 and Kyle Marcinkevich (Dickson CIty, Pa./Mid Valley) finished ninth at 52.47.
 
Doug Walsh (Old Forge, Pa./Holy Cross High School) took fourth in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes with times of 11.31 and 23.12. Marco Olmedo (Norristown, Pa./Norristown Area) took eighth in the 100 (11.64) and Marcinkevich finished fifth in the 200 with a time of 23.23.

The PSAC Championships will begin on Thursday at Slippery Rock. A preview of the meet will be available this week on buhuskies.com.

The women's track and field team closed out its regular season with the LHU Qualifier over the weekend and will compete at the PSAC Championships this coming weekend at Slippery Rock.

At the LHU Qualifier, freshman Kelly Leszcynski (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth) continues to rewrite the Bloomsburg women's track & field record books as she hit a new college PR and school record throw to win the javelin and lead the Huskies at the LHU Qualifier, Saturday. The Huskies won four events and placed in the top-10 31 times.
 
Leszcynski demolished her own school record in the javelin and won with a toss of 45.28 meters (148' 7"), 1.8 meters further than her previous best at Bloomsburg. Her throw is currently the best in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, ninth best in NCAA DII, and the best in the Atlantic region. Molly Raville (Gettysburg, PA/Delone Catholic High School) took second overall in the javelin with a throw of 34.68 meters (113' 9") and Becca Martin (Wellington Florida/Cushing Academy) took fourth (32.52 meters • 106' 8"). Madison Baudille (Babylon, N.Y./Babylon) finished sixth overall with a distance of 28.93 meters (94' 11") and Lily Slater took ninth at 24.17 meters (79' 3").
 
In the other throwing events, Kelly Gilmore (Colmar, Pa./North Penn) took fourth in the hammer (45.41 meters • 149' 0") while Briannan Eckard (Danville, PA/Danville Area High School) took seventh (41.26 meters • 135' 4"). Alyssa Dalmagro (Prospect, Pa./Slippery Rock) finished eighth overall with a throw of 37.09 meters (121' 8"). In the shot put, Baudille took second with a toss of 11.57 meters (37' 11.5") and Martin finished fourth at 10.80 meters (35' 5.25"). Bailey Corrigan (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra High School) finished eighth overall with a throw of 8.32 meters (27' 3.75").
 
Makayla Force (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) finished sixth with a throw of 37.73 meters (123' 9") in the discus, her furthest of the spring this year to improve her PSAC mark and is ranked 16th in the conference. Anna Palm (Landenburg, Pa./Saint Mark's High School) finished 10th with a distance of 26.97 meters (88' 6").
 
Junior Sydney Beaverson (York, Pa./Red Lion) won the triple jump with a college personal best and PSAC qualifying mark of 10.78 meters (35' 4.5"). Isabella Horvath (Cresco, PA/Pocono Mountain East High School) took third with a jump of 9.63 meters (31' 7.2"). Emma Kay (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone Area High School) finished fifth overall with a jump of 9.41 meters (30' 10.5").
 
Lorelei Eberly (Downingtown, Pa./Coatesville Area High School) took second overall in the long jump with a jump 4.95 meters (16' 3") and Melissa Sicinski (Fountainville, Pa./Pennridge) finished third with a jump of 4.90 meters (16' 1"). Beaverson also took fifth for the Huskies with a jump of 4.56 meters (14' 11.5").
 
Sydney Derr (Fogelsville, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh) won the pole vault as she cleared 2.75 meters (9' 0.25") and Horvath cleared 1.45 meters (4' 9") to take third in the high jump.
 
On the track, Sicinski finished third overall in the 100-meter dash at 12.82 and Kay took fifth at 13.29.
 
Sarah Castronova (Lancaster, Pa./Conestoga Valley) won the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.23 and Sicinski finished eighth at 27.63.
 
The Huskies placed three in the top-10 in the mile as Emma Fortune (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./James M. Coughlin) took fourth at 5:36.63 and Gabrielle Wetzel (Manchester Township, NJ/Manchester Township) finished sixth at 5:42.37. Kayla Kinney (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) finished seventh overall at 6:23.92.
 
Julia Magee (Chalfont, Pennsylvania/Central Bucks South) grabbed a top-10 finish in both the 100-meter hurdles (17.30) and the 400-meter hurdles (1:11.88) while Yamilet Ferrufino (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) took sixth in the 400-hurdles at 1:15.62.

The PSAC Championships will begin on Thursday at Slippery Rock. A preview of the meet will be available this week on buhuskies.com.