BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Gavin Troutman's (Boyertown, Pa./Oley Valley) two-out grand slam in the top of the 10^th inning powered the Lock Haven University baseball team to a thrilling 12-8 victory in game two today at Bloomsburg University. Host-Bloomsburg won game one 11-3 as the two teams opened Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division action this afternoon (Sunday, March 12).
 
With the game-two win and split, Lock Haven improved to 7-5 overall and LHU is 1-1 in PSAC East play. Bloomsburg is 5-6 overall (1-1 PSAC East) after the split.
 
Troutman's grand slam was one of two in the game for Lock Haven, and one of three total home runs for the Bald Eagles.
 
In the two games today, Lock Haven and Bloomsburg combined for 34 runs on 50 hits.
 
The Bald Eagles dropped game one – a scheduled seven-inning game, 11-3. In game one, Lock Haven registered 10 hits and Bloomsburg scored its 11 runs on 14 hits.
 
Leading the way at the plate for Lock Haven in game one was Zach Kaatz (Stafford, Va./Mountain View) and Garrett Nepert (Preston, Md./Colonel Richardson (Chesapeake County CC)). Kaatz was 3-for-4 with a double, and Nephert went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
 
Starting pitcher Garrett Starr (Dubois, Pa./Dubois) struck out seven in 4 2/3 innings of work for LHU.
 
In game two, Lock Haven outslugged the host Huskies and won the thrilling extra-inning clash, 12-8. For LHU, the long ball, and Troutman's late-game heroics proved the difference.
 
The Haven's 12 game-two runs came off 15 hits and Bloomsburg scored eight runs on 11 hits.
 
Trailing 4-0 after five innings, Lock Haven started a rally and plated two runs in the top of the sixth. Still trailing after six innings, 4-2, the Bald Eagles scored six runs in the top of the seventh and took an 8-4 lead, a lead LHU held until the bottom of the ninth in the scheduled nine-inning game. In the bottom of the ninth, the home-hitting Huskies started a rally of their own and scored four runs which tied the game at 8-8, and forced extra-inning baseball.
 
With two outs in the top of the 10^th inning, Troutman drilled a ball over the left-field fence, and the grand slam cemented itself as the game's defining moment.
 
Joe Shannon (Warminster, Pa./William Tennent (Mercer CC)) helped power the offense with a two-run homer in the sixth, and with the game tied at 4-4 in the seventh - Brendan Jordan (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy (Bucks County CC)) hit a grand slam to make it 8-4 Lock Haven.
 
In all, five different Bald Eagles recorded a multiple-hit game. Troutman, Jordan and Andrew Ramirez (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg) all had three-hit games. Shannon went 3-for-6 with three RBIs, two runs scored, a home run, and a double. Nepert had a two-hit game as he hit well in both games today.
 
Pitcher Aedan Walter (Milford, Pa./Delaware Valley) stood strong late and earned the win as he struck out five over the final two innings of action.
 
Schedule Update / Up Next for Lock Haven:
Lock Haven and Bloomsburg were originally scheduled to open their three-game PSAC East series Friday in Lock Haven, but weather forced several changes. That Friday-opener had been moved to tomorrow (Monday, March 13), but again weather has forced a postponement. Lock Haven and Bloomsburg have rescheduled the third-game of the series – a scheduled nine-inning game – for Thursday, March 16 in Lock Haven at 2 p.m.
 
Additionally, Lock Haven's game vs. Seton Hill scheduled for Tuesday, March 14 has been postponed. A makeup date and time is to-be-determined.