PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia University baseball team opened its Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) schedule with a split against visiting Bloomfield in a conference doubleheader Thursday afternoon on Alumni Field. The Rams won game one 7-6, and the Deacons took game two 4-0.

Philadelphia is now 7-10 overall and 1-1 in CACC play. The game loss snapped the Rams' four-game winning streak. Bloomfield's record is 1-9 overall, 1-1 against the conference.

GAME 1
Senior first baseman Jordan Force (East Greenville, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) snapped a 6-6 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning by beating out a double play ball to shortstop, allowing senior second baseman John Sczepanski (Lafayette, Hill, Pa./La Salle College High School) to score the eventual game-winning run.

The Rams took a 1-0 lead in the home half of the first inning when sophomore right fielder Fernando Garza (Laredo, Texas/Alexander) delivered a two-one single to right field to bring home junior shortstop Hector Gonzalez (Laredo, Texas/United) from second.

After tying the game at one in third, Bloomfield took a 4-1 lead on a Ariel Tineo RBI double to deep left field and a two-run single to right off the bat of Dominique Parra with two outs.

Junior third baseman Hunter Greenwood (Salisbury, Md./James M. Bennett) cut the deficit to 4-2 in the fifth with a double to bring in Sczepanski, who was hit by a pitch to start the inning.

One inning later, Philadelphia pushed three runs across to regain the lead, 5-4. Senior catcher TJ Burgmann (Philadelphia, Pa./La Salle College High School) delivered a double to right field to bring the Rams within 4-3. Sczepanski put Philadelphia in front with a double to right center.

The Deacons got a RBI groundout from Ben Thomas and a two-out single by Allen Rivera to take a 6-5 advantage in the seventh. In the bottom of the seventh, junior designated hitter Ken McCormick (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) tied the score at sixth with a base hit to right.

Sophomore relief pitcher Abraham Almonte (Danbury, Conn./Danbury) kept the game tied at six after pitching out of a major jam in the eighth. With the help of two Philadelphia errors and a walk, Bloomfield loaded the bases with no outs. Almonte fought back, striking out the 3-4-5 of the Deacons' order to keep the visitors from taking the lead.

Almonte ended up as the winning pitcher (2-0). He fanned four batters in 1.2 innings of work.

Sophomore closer Luke Floer (Brewster, N.Y./North Salem) threw a perfect ninth to earn his second save of the year.

Gonzalez led the Rams, who outhit the Deacons 10-9, with three runs in four at-bats and scored twice. Greenwood added two hits.

Parra had two hits and two RBIs for the Deacons.

Justin Eclavea took the loss (0-3), allowing two runs on four hits in two innings.

GAME 2
Bloomfield's Lucas Lunger was the star of the nightcap with a complete game seven-hit shutout and fanned six.

After three scoreless innings, the Deacons got on the board in the fourth on a RBI single by David Rivera and a two-run double by Carlos Flete.

Flete tacked on the Deacons' fourth run in the ninth with a double to left field.

Greenwood had two hits for Philadelphia.

Both teams had seven hits.

Junior starting pitcher Stephen Dickerson (Columbus, Ohio/Danbury) suffered the loss (1-2). Dickerson gave up three runs on five hits and struck out three in five innings.

Philadelphia travels to Wilmington (Del.) to take on the defending conference champion in a doubleheader on Saturday, March 22 at noon.