PEMBROKE – UNCP booked its sixth double-digit hit total of the season behind eight shutout innings from starter Tyler Wood to take hold of its fastest start to a season in more than 19 years as the 18th-ranked Braves eased by visiting Bloomfield, 8-1, in the front end of a series-opening doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Sammy Cox Field.

Newcomer Brad Bridgeman hit a two-run single in the fourth and a run-scoring double in the seventh to highlight a 3-for-4 outing at the plate for the Braves (9-0) who also got multi-hit performances from three other players as well. Kenny Mickens homered to earmark a 2-for-4 day with a pair of runs scored, Eitan Maoz drove in a run and scored once on a 2-for-3 hitting line and Joe Mangum hit a run-scoring double in the eighth on a 2-for-5 hitting line.

Rafael Medina and Anderson Minyetty both turned in 2-for-4 days at the plate for the Deacons (0-1) who are opening up their 2011 campaign this weekend in Pembroke. Alex Sepulveda scored the lone run of the game for the visitors on a wild pitch in the ninth.

Wood (3-0) struck out six, walked one and scattered seven hits and matched a career-best with eight innings of work to pick up the win for UNCP. Weston Sherrill struck out a pair of Deacons, while also yielding a hit and an unearned run, in the ninth. Sean Stimpfel (0-1) saddled the loss for Bloomfield after allowing 10 hits and six runs (five earned) in six innings from the hill. He also struck out five.

After two scoreless innings, UNCP got a leadoff homer from Mickens in the third to get things started and had pushed its lead out to 6-0 by the end of the sixth inning. Bridgeman hit a two-run double in the fourth, Maoz chipped in with a RBI single in the fifth and the Braves gave themselves plenty of breathing room with two more in the sixth, including a RBI groundout from Josh Haley that plated Mickens from third.

Bridgeman doubled in a run in the seventh and Mangum equaled the feat with a two-bagger to left field in the eighth.