PHILADELPHIA, P.A. – The Bloomfield College baseball team traveled to the City of Brotherly Love and ended their seven game losing streak and picked up their first conference victory of the season. Senior, Francesco Scudiero (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was lights out on the mound and nearly unhittable Wednesday afternoon as the Bears (2-13, 1-5) split the double-header with USciences (2-13, 2-6).

Scudiero came into the game looking to be a leader and jumpstart his team and the senior righty did just that. Bloomfield's ace pitched a complete game shutout allowing just two hits while striking out six to win the game 3-0 and picked up his second victory of the season.

The Bears scored all three of their runs in the top of the fifth. Catcher, Cristopher Cabral (Lodi, N.J.) got the rally going with a single up the middle. Senior, Ray Lang (Middlesex, N.J.) dropped a beautiful bunt down the third baseline and reached safely on an error. Ben Thomas (Burlington, N.J.) bunted them over for freshman, Anthony Lantigua (Bellville, N.J.) who laced a two run triple down the right field line making it 2-0 Bears. The red hot Isaac Pichardo (Passaic, N.J.) drove Lantigua in with a line drive up the middle to make it 3-0.

Bloomfield didn't score again and they didn't have too as Scudiero was masterful on the mound. Both hits he surrendered were infield singles (one being a bunt) and USciences was unable to get a ball out of the infield.  "I felt confident out there," said Scudiero. "I knew my team was behind me giving their max effort." The dominant performance powered Bloomfield to their second win of the season.

In game two the Bears offense came out of hibernation but came up short in a 9-8 loss as USciences ruined Bloomfield's hopes of a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) sweep with the come from behind win.

It was pitcher's duel for the first half of the game. Senior, Lucas Junger (Waretown, N.J.) shut down USciences offense thru the first five innings, unfortunately the Bears offense provided him no run support either. That ended in the top of the sixth when freshman, Juan Reina (Paterson, N.J.) got things going with an infield single. Juan Hilario (Bronx, N.Y.) then walked and Harry Montero (Bellville, N.J.) moved them over with a ground ball. Ellis Sanchez (Kearny, N.J.) pinch ran for Hilario and came in to score on Thomas' infield single to the shortstop to make it 1-0 Bloomfield.

USciences answered back right away with four runs in the bottom half of the inning. Miniconzi came up after the Devils tied the game on a double and hit a two run homerun to right field, that gave his team a 3-1 lead. Justin Eclavea (South San Francisco, C.A.) came on in relief following the homerun. The home team scored another run on a single to extend their lead to 4-1.

The Bears came alive in the top of the seventh exploding for seven runs. Pichardo and Brandon Morales (Hialeah, F.L) singled and Reina reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases. Shadi Azar (South San Francisco, C.A.) also reached on a fielder's choice where Pichardo scored making it 4-2. Montero lined an RBI single to left making it 4-3. A sacrifice fly by Cabral tied the game and Bloomfield took the lead when Carlos Flete (Jamaica, N.Y.) worked a pinch hit walk with the bases loaded to make it 5-4. The Bears batted around and Pichardo came up again and lined a three run double to right field that gave the visiting team an 8-4 lead.

A couple of hits brought in two runs for Sciences in the bottom of the seventh to make it 8-6 and knocked Eclavea out the game. Senior reliever, Jose Toribio (West New York, N.J.) came in to finish off the inning.

In the bottom of the eighth Toribio surrendered a run on a single making it 8-7 before being taken out of the game for Kyle Murzyn (Glasboro, N.J.). Murzyn came in with one out and runners on first and second. He got the first batter he faced to fly out to right. After a wild pitch made it second and third, Murzyn gave up a two run single to Miniconzi to make it 9-8 Sciences. The single would prove to be the game winning hit as the Bears failed to come back in the top of the ninth.

Bloomfield returns to action this Saturday when they travel back to Philadelphia to face the Griffins of Chestnut Hill College for a CACC double-header. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.

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(story written by Mark Reyes - Sports Information Department intern)