PHILADELPHIA, P.A - Despite a quality start from Bears ace Francesco Scudiero (Brooklyn, N.Y.), the Bloomfield College baseball team (1-6, 0-1) opened up Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) play with a 6-2 loss to Philadelphia University (4-3,1-0) Thursday morning.
 
Right off the bat the Rams, Hector Gonzalez led the game off reaching on an error by Bloomfield's first baseman Harry Montero (Millville, N.J.). Gonzalez would later come around to score on a Ken McCormick single to leftfield giving Philly U an early 1-0 lead. In the bottom half of the opening frame, the Bears offense looked like it was poised for a big inning when Isaac Pichardo (Passaic,N.Y.) who went 2-3, lined a single to left and Brandon Morales (Miami,F.L.) walked. Bloomfield had first and second with nobody out and failed to push in a run after Rams starter, Stephen Dickerson, retired the 3-4-5 hitters, stranding both runners.
 
Dickerson allowed just one earned run and five hits over six innings of work while striking out six batters.
 
Scudiero battled through some tight jams that kept his team in the game. In the third Philly U managed to get a runner to third with just one out, only to see him stranded on the basepads by Scudiero. The Bears pitcher then battled in the fourth after retiring the lead off hitter. The Rams got back-to-back singles from Steven Wells and David McTaggart. John Brocious then hit a double one hopper off the left field wall plating Wells. Scudiero fought hard to get out of the inning with no further damage.
 
Scudiero left the game with his team trailing 4-0 after six innings on the mound, allowing three earned runs and striking out four.
 
In the bottom half of the sixth freshman shortstop Juan Reina (Paterson, N.J.) blasted his first career homerun to left center field to get the Bears on the board and make it a 4-1 game.
 
Jose Toribio (West York, N.J.) came on in relief of Scudiero and immediately surrendered a triple to Fernando Garza who scored on a single by McCormick's that made it 5-1 Rams. McCormick later scored on another Brocious double. The McCormick and Brocious tandem each contributed three hits and a pair of runs batted in.
 
The Philly U bullpen shut down Bloomfield's offense for the remainder of the game to secure their first conference victory of the season.
 
The Bears look to come roaring back on Monday, March 23 when they take to the road to face the Golden Falcons of Felician College. Bloomfield's Saturday, March 21 game against CACC rival Dominican College has been postponed due to impending weather conditions. First pitch is set to go at 1:00 pm for Monday's doubleheader in Rutherford.

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