Bloomsburg Baseball Opens with Win

HAMPTON, VA -- Two Bloomsburg University freshmen pitchers, Grant Kernaghan (Upper Darby/Upper Darby) and Chris Carter (Bartonsville/Pocono Mt. East), combined on a seven-hitter to lead the Huskies baseball team to a 7-4 win over the Apprentice School of Virginia in the season opener.

Kernghan went the first four innings, while Carter pitched the final five innings to earn the win.

The Huskies went up 4-1 in the game through the first four innings. Sophomore Preston Hitchcock (Laceyville/Wyalusing) scored the Huskies first run of the season when he singled and later scored on an error. Bloomsburg made it 2-0 when Kevin Plott (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley) singled with two outs and then scored on a single by Matt Robinson (York/Red Lion). After the Apprentice School made it 2-1 with a run in the third, the Huskies scored twice in the fourth to lead, 4-1.

In the eighth inning Bloomsburg made it 5-2 when Hitchcock singled, stole second and scored on a single by Matt Allen. The Apprentice School made it 5-4 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth, before the Huskies added two insurance runs in the ninth on a two-run double from Paul Eckley (Port Matilda/State College).

Kernaghan allowed three hits and one run, while, striking out six and not walking a batter in four innings. Carter went the final five innings walking two and striking out five.

Hitchcock finished 2-3 with two runs scored, while Eckley was 2-5 with two runs scored.