DEL RAY, Florida - The Black Bears finished the first weekend of the Del Ray Invitational looking for their fourth win in a row, but a late ninth-inning rally by CCSU was able to hand Maine the streak-ending loss, 6-3.
The Black Bears once again scored in the first inning, their first run coming from a
Danny Casals RBI single scoring
Tyler Schwanz, putting Maine up 1-0.
In the second inning,
Jeremy Pena had a two-RBI double, scoring
Lou Della Fera, who hit a single, and
Caleb Kerbs, who was the first runner of the inning on a walk, putting Maine up 3-0 after two innings.
The game remained at a 3-0 score until the top of the fifth inning, which saw three runs on two hits and an error for the Black Bears. Maine's starting pitcher,
Trevor DeLaite, lasted four full innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs; he walked five batters and struck out four. Cody Lawyerson would come into the game with no outs in the top of the fifth, and got all three outs in a row with a sac-fly to center field, and two straight strikeouts.
Connor Johnson came in to close for Maine in the top of the eighth, but in the top of the ninth he allowed earned three runs; after allowing one run, he left the game and
Jeff Gelinas entered the game, but the other two baserunners from Johnson's time on the mound made it home, as CCSU took a 6-3 lead going into the bottom of the final frame. Maine only managed one hit in the bottom of the ninth, as
Jonathan Bennett got on base with a single, but CCSU would hold on for the victory. Johnson would get his second decision of the year, and is now 1-1 on the season.
The Black Bears return home to Maine for a week before facing St. Bonaventure for a four-game series beginning on Saturday, March 4th.
-UMaine-
