SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Bloomsburg baseball team picked up a pair of victories in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) doubleheader sweep over Shippensburg at Fairchild Field on Friday afternoon.
 
Bloomsburg (13-6, 3-3 PSAC East) tallied 20 hits on the day with seven Huskies recording multiple hits. Joe Levis (Fort Washington, Pa./Upper Dublin) led the team with five runs, four hits, three doubles and three RBIs. Matt Freda (Lafayette, N.J./High Point Regional) finished the day with four RBIs.
 
The maroon and gold held Shippensburg (17-8, 4-2) to just three runs on the day.
 
Game One – Bloomsburg 8, Shippensburg 2
 
Grant Russo (Sugarloaf, Pa./Hazleton Area) battled to earn a free trip to the bases to lead off the contest, wearing a pitch after battling to a 3-2 count. After stealing second, Russo was brought home on a single through the right side by Freda.
 
The two sides held each other to just one hit apiece until the top of the third. A single from Russo and Walks to Freda and Drew Balestrini (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy) loaded the bases with one out. After a strikeout, Justin Weaver (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) made it 3-0 as he drove in a pair of runs on a single through the right side.
 
Shippensburg pulled within one on a two-run home run to left field from Will Oates.
 
The top of the fourth saw Jeremy Stine (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) draw a walk to start the inning before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt from Jace Jarmon (Millsboro, Del./Sussex Central). Levis then notched his first RBI of the day, sending a double to right field. A throwing error later in the frame allowed Levis to cross the plate and give Bloomsburg a 5-2 lead. Drew Balestrini (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy) extended the lead further in the subsequent at-bat, singling to left field.
 
An error for the Raiders' shortstop in the top of the sixth allowed Jarmon to reach first before he was brought home on a centerfield single from Levis. With the bases loaded later in the frame, Casey O'Brien (Moosic, Pa./Riverside) brought Levis home on a right-field single.
 
The Huskies stood tall defensively through the final two innings, holding on for an 8-2 victory.
 
Bloomsburg finished the game with six stolen bases, including three from Russo.
 
Brandon Wozniak (Nanticoke, Pa./Nanticoke Area) recorded his third win of the season, tossing a complete game. The sophomore allowed just two runs and one walk while striking out three.
 
Game Two – Bloomsburg 6, Shippensburg 1
 
The second game saw the Raiders strike first, using a double and triple to take an early 1-0 lead.
 
Bloomsburg responded in the top of the third as a leadoff single and steal from Jarmon allowed Levis to tie the game with an RBI-double to centerfield. A sac-bunt from Russo moved Levis to third before scoring on a single up the middle from Freda to take the 2-1 lead.
 
The Huskies extended its lead to 4-2 in the fifth as a two-RBI single from Freda scored Levis and Russo, who reached on an error and double, respectively.
 
Three singles in the sixth pushed the maroon and gold's advantage to 5-1 as a left-field single from Jarmon scored O'Brien.
 
Levis posted his third double of the day to lead off the seventh before advancing to third on a groundout. Levis was later brought home by Balestrini to make it 6-1.
 
The Huskies defense went three-up, three-down in the bottom of the seventh to secure the doubleheader sweep.
 
Andrew Armstrong (Levittown, Pa./Harry S. Truman) tossed the second complete of the day for Bloomsburg, striking out eight while allowing just five hits and one run.
 
Bloomsburg returns to Danny Litwhiler Field on Sunday, March 29 as they host Shippensburg to cap off the season series with the Raiders.