HICKORY, N.C. – The Bloomsburg baseball team dropped both games of its season-opening doubleheader to No. 25 Lenoir-Rhyne, 7-0 and 8-4, at Durham Field on Friday afternoon.
 
Eli Riley (Harrisburg, Pa./Mercersburg Academy) registered a pair of runs in the contest while seven different Huskies recorded hits on the day.
 
Game One – Lenoir-Rhyne 7, Bloomsburg 0
 
Jacob Reifer (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central Columbia Area) recorded the first hit of the season for Bloomsburg (0-2), lining a single to left centerfield on an 0-2 count as the leadoff batter. The next three Huskies' batter were able to put the ball in play, but each resulted in a flyout.
 
The top of the second saw Josh Wilson (Clinton, Md./Bishop McNamara) single up the middle as the leadoff batter, however Lenoir-Rhyne (8-1) sent the next three batters back to the dugout to keep the game scoreless.
 
The Bears tallied their first hit of the contest in the bottom of the third on a leadoff single to right center. A sac-bunt moved the runner to second before he was brought home on a right field single. A second runner completed his trip around the bases on an RBI-double. Lenoir-Rhyne posted a two-RBI single to cap off a four-run inning.
 
LRU tacked on another run in the fourth before scoring a pair of unearned runs in the sixth to bring the score to 7-0.
 
Daniel Koppisch (Philadelphia, Pa./Central) got the start in game one, going 2.2 innings while striking out two batters. Matthew Marsten (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) pitched 3.1 innings of relief, striking out one while allowing one earned run.
 
Game Two – Lenoir-Rhyne 8, Bloomsburg 4
 
Greg Cristino (Haddonfield, N.J./Haddonfield Memorial) gave the maroon and Gold some early momentum in first, posting a two-out double down the leftfield line. Mike Miller (Lafayette Hill, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) brought the first baseman home on an RBI-single to left field.
 
A walk and a single in the bottom of the frame set up the Bears for an RBI single to level the score a 1-1.
 
The top of the second saw the Huskies load the bases on a trio of walks before Reifer grounded out to third to bring Riley in for Bloomsburg's second run of the contest.
 
Lenoir-Rhyne tied the game in the bottom of the third on a solo home run to left field. The Bears posted two more runs in the frame on back-to-back doubles.
 
The home team advanced its lead on a RBI-single in the bottom of the fourth before a two-RBI single in the bottom of the sixth brought the score to 7-2. The Bears extended the lead to 8-2 in the seventh on three-straight stolen bases.
 
Bloomsburg looked to close the gap in the top of the ninth, after Riley reached first on a throwing error from the third baseman. The outfielder then advanced to third on a passed ball and a wild pitch. A throwing error allowed Jeremy Cawley (Duryea, Pa./Pittston Area) to reach first while bringing Riley in to score. Nico Ingalls (Newton, N.J./Kittatinny Regional) then doubled down the leftfield line, allowing Cawley to score all the way from first to make the score 8-4.
 
Riley Powers (Vidalia, Ga./Vidalia) was tacked with the loss in his first start with the Huskies, striking out three batters in 2.2 innings pitched.
 
Bloomsburg is back in action on Saturday, February 15 for another doubleheader against Lenoir-Rhyne beginning at 2 p.m.