Baseball Splits Pair with Kutztown

BLOOMSBURG—The Bloomsburg University baseball team split a doubleheader with Kutztown on Saturday. The Huskies lost game one 5-4 in nine innings and were 12-9 winners in game two.

In game one, Kutztown got on the board first as Paul Koropchak and Tony Riegel were both hit by pitches with the bases loaded. The Golden Bears would add another run in the top fourth inning before the Huskies would answer. In the bottom of the fourth, Joe Pesci (Levittown/Pennsbury) took the first pitch of the inning over the leftfield fence to put the Huskies on the board. Pesci's homerun hit off the top of the fence and bounced over for his first homerun of the season.

After a scoreless fifth inning, Bloomsburg would again cut into the Kutztown lead as Pesci scored on a Larry Piccini (Jessup/Valley View) sacrifice to make the score 3-2 in favor of the Golden Bears.

After adding another run in the top of the seventh, Kutztown took a 4-2 lead heading into the bottom half of the inning. Ryan Wyland (Williamsport/Loyalsock Twp.) grounded out to start the bottom of the seventh before Andy Howard (Glen Rock/Dallastown) doubled to bring Bloomsburg new life. Vinny James (Philadelphia/Bristol) then walked and both runners advanced on an error. Andy Bucher (Littlestown/Littlestown) drove both runners home with a single to tie the game at 4-4. Chris Husted (West Decatur/Philipsburg-Osceola) then reached on a fielder's choice, but Kutztown turned a double play, ending the Huskies threat.

Neither team scored in the eighth inning, but Kutztown finally broke through in the ninth inning as Tony Riegel would double in Paul Koropchak with the eventual game-winner.

In the bottom half of the ninth inning, Joe Pesci singled with one out, but the next two Bloomsburg batters went down in order to end the game.

Pesci went 3-5 in the opener to lead the Huskies.

In the second game, the Bloomsburg bats were hot as the Huskies scored five times in the first inning. The Huskies scoring spree was topped off with a Jeremy Eck (Williamsport/Montoursville) two-run homerun. After Kutztown scored twice in the second inning and once in the fourth, Bloomsburg scored again as Ryan Wyland singled in Eck in the bottom of the fourth.

Leading 6-5 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, Andy Bucher would extend the Bloomsburg lead as he drove in Vinny James and Joe Pesci with a double. Bucher later scored on an Eck fielder's choice. Chris Husted scored the fourth run of the inning for the Huskies as Brian Tugend (Taylor/Riverside) singled him in. The Huskies added two more runs in the sixth to take a 12-5 lead heading into the final frame.

Kutztown scored four times in the final inning and threatened with a runner on second base with two outs but Josh Fink flew out to leftfield to end the game.

Andy Bucher spearheaded the Huskies' attack in game two with two hits and four runs batted in.

Bloomsburg, 7-19, 1-7 PSAC returns to action on Tuesday as they host Lock Haven at 1:00 p.m.