MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - A couple of long balls staked Bloomsburg ace Jared Marshman to a 7-0 lead, and he did the rest, tossing six strong innings to help his Huskies to an 8-4 win over the Millersville Marauders Friday at Cooper Park.
 
Marshman improved to 9-1 on the season and gave Millersville its first four-game losing streak in PSAC East play since March of 2012. The Marauders entered the day with a one-game lead in the PSAC East standings slipped into a tie with Friday winners West Chester and Shippensburg while Bloomsburg crept with a game-and-a-half.
 
One week ago, the Marauders were 16-1 at home but have since lost three of four at Cooper Park. But success at Millersville's home field is nothing new for recent Bloomsburg clubs as they have now won six of the last 10 against the Marauders, including five of the last seven at Cooper Park.
 
On Friday, it was PSAC home run leader Ben Newbert that got his team started with a solo homer in the top of the first. Anthony Viggiano doubled in a run in the second, and later put the Huskies up 7-0 with a three-run homer in the fifth.
 
Marshman limited the Marauders to five hits and one run, which came on a Jimmy Losh RBI single in the fifth. Bloomsburg went to the bullpen in the seventh, and Millersville capitalized. Chase Simmons drew a leadoff walk. Sam Morris reached when an infield pop up got caught in a strong breeze and was misplayed by the infield. Bren Taylor then drilled a three-run homer to right field to cut Bloomsburg's lead to three. Thomas Caufield and Luke Trainer hit back-to-back singles to bring the tying run to the plate, but Bloomsburg called closer Matt Vernieri from the pen, and he promptly induced a 6-4-3 double-play to end the threat.
 
Vernieri worked the final two innings as well to finish with his fifth save of the season.
 
Taylor went 3-for-5, and Caufield added two hits.
 
UP NEXT
Millersville travels to Bloomsburg Saturday for games two and three of the series. The doubleheader start at noon.