WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Freshman Harry Montero (Millville, N.J.) notched a pair of hits and scored a run as Bloomfield College suffered two, 2-1 loses and were swept by American International College (AIC) on Friday afternoon at Palm Beach Atlantic's Rubin Park.
 
The Bears (0-5) watched the Yellow Jackets strike first in Game 1 as a two-out double to left field scored a run and then junior Aidan Farrell (Mansfield, Mass.) belted a run-producing single that put American International up 2-0.
 
AIC (3-6) kept Bloomfield off the scoreboard until the final frame of Game 1 as the Bears opened with back-to-back singles and a sacrifice bunt to put the tying runs in scoring position with only one out. Freshman catcher Christopher Cabral (Lodi, N.J.) ripped a single up the middle to plate Montero, however, a laser beam throw from the Yellow Jackets centerfielder gunned out senior Shadi Azar (South San Francisco, C.A.) at the plate that kept the tying run from scoring. Junior right-hander Colin Sledzik (Higganum, Conn.) then got freshman Anthony Lantigua (Belleville, N.J.) to groundout to shortstop and secure the 2-1 victory.
 
Sledzik improved to 2-0 on the season tossing the complete game allowing just the one run on four hits with four walks and one strikeout. Bloomfield senior Lucas Junger (Waretown, N.J.) picked up his first loss of the season, tossing all six innings, scattering six hits while surrendering two earned runs with a pair of walks and five strikeouts.
 
The Bears woes continued in Game 2 as AIC struck first again, plating a single run in the third inning off starting pitcher, Ariel Tineo (Valley Stream, N.Y.). Tineo walked three consecutive Yellow Jackets to start the frame and with the bases loaded a single gave AIC the 1-0 edge.
 
The Yellow Jackets added to their lead in the sixth as an RBI single shot through the left side to score a runner who was hit by a pitch earlier in the frame by senior reliever, Mark Reyes (Bronx, N.Y.) for a 2-0 advantage.
 
Bloomfield finally got on the board in the bottom half of the frame, as Cabral doubled to start the inning and came around to score on an RBI single by freshman Isaac Pichardo (Passaic, N.J.) to cut their deficit in half 2-1. AIC then sent in their sophomore closer Derek Azzopardi (Redwood City, Calif.) to record the final five outs and pick up his second save of the season.
 
Tineo earned his first loss of the year tossing five innings of work and allowing one hit, an earned run and four strikeouts while walking nine batters. Reyes, in relief, struck out three and surrendered one hit, an earned run while hitting one batter.
 
Bloomfield's next contest will be Saturday when they face Caldwell University in a non-conference match-up at West Palm Beach, Fla. with the first pitch set to go at 11:00am.