The Shippensburg University baseball hit four home runs, including three from graduate Justin Byler, in a thrilling Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) victory over Bloomsburg on Friday, 12-10, at Danny Litwhiler Field.
 
Shippensburg (14-8, 2-2 PSAC East) totaled 11 hits in the contest, including four to erase a three-run deficit in the ninth, while the pitching staff recorded seven strikeouts.
 
Bloomsburg (6-7, 2-2) notched 12 hits including three from Brady Gibble, who fell a triple short of completing the cycle.
 
The Raiders fell behind in the first after a single up the middle with the bases loaded scored two runners.
 
The subsequent at-bat saw Brady Ernst put a three-run shot over the left field wall to extend the Huskies lead to 5-0.
 
Sophomore Jaxon Dalena responded in the top of the second with a solo home run to put SU on the board.
 
An RBI-single from Byler and a sacrifice-fly from junior Austin Baal in the third cut the deficit to 5-3.
 
Gibble pulled Bloomsburg further ahead in the bottom of the frame with a home run to right field.
 
In the fifth inning, Byler launched a two-run homer to right field, putting Shippensburg down by one. The Raiders followed that up with a double from Baal and an RBI-single from Dalena to tie the game.
 
Bloomsburg posted four runs over next two innings, to pull ahead 10-6.
 
In the seventh, Byler blasted his second home run of the game to left field.
 
Heading in the final frame, SU trailed 10-7. Sophomore Gio Calamia led off the inning and earned a trip to first after being hit by a pitch. Freshman Mike Heckman singled up the middle, bringing Byler to the plate with zero outs. On the third pitch of the at-bat, Byler crushed a no-doubter for his third home run over the right-field wall to tie the contest.
 
Shippensburg took its first lead of the matchup after Bloomsburg's centerfielder dropped a well-hit line drive from redshirt-sophomore Brock Piper, allowing two Raiders to score.
 
Freshman J.T. Weaver got the start on the mound, striking out six in 5.1 innings pitched, sending two batters down looking on three pitches in the second.
 
Junior Jackson LoBianco earned his second win of the season, allowing just two hits and no runs through the final 2.1 innings.
 
Byler became just the fifth player in Shippensburg baseball history to hit three home runs in a game, the first since Justin Darden accomplished the feat against Mansfield on April 24, 2021.
 
The leftfielder has had a hot bat as of late with 12 hits in his last 18 at bats games. Byler doubled his career home run total in the contest.
 
With his single in the third, Byler totaled 13 bases, falling one short of tying Dave Hemerly's single-game record of 14 that he set against Bloomsburg in 1979.
 
Byler fell a grand slam short of completing a home run cycle.
 
SU recorded its tenth come-from-behind victory of the season, doing so in its final time at the plate for the fourth time.
 
Shippensburg returns to Fairchild Field for a doubleheader against Bloomsburg beginning at noon.