ORONO, Maine – The University of Maine baseball team took to Mahaney Diamond for the first time in 2018 on Saturday and came away with a doubleheader sweep of the University of Albany. The Black Bears topped the Great Danes 10-2 in the first game before taking the night cap, 4-1.
Every single Maine batter reached base safely on the day, with
Brandon Vicens collecting a team-high four hits and scoring a team-best three runs.
Hernen Sardinas,
Jonathan Bennett and
Kevin Doody had three hits each. Starter
Zach Winn earned the win for Maine in game one while game two starter
John Arel got the victory in game two.
In game one, UAlbany put one run on the board in their first at-bats but Maine responded with five runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a lead that it would not relinquish.
All of Maine's runs came with two outs.
Christopher Bec, Sardinas and Vicens earned three consecutive walks for the Black Bears and then Bennett lined a bases clearing double over the left fielder's head. A Doody single moved Bennett to third and then Bennett scored on a
Caleb Kerbs single to the left side.
Cody Pasic's single through the right side scored Doody to cap off Maine's big first inning.
Jeremy Pena and
Danny Casals scored on a Sardinas single to right field in the bottom of the fourth to give Maine seven runs. In the sixth, Pasic led off with a single and then scored two batters later on a Casals sacrifice fly to deep center before Vicens knocked Pena in with a single up the middle.
Maine finished off the scoring in the bottom of the eighth when Doody's single to left knocked in Vicens who had doubled down the left field line earlier in the inning.
Ryan Hernandez's home run in the to left field in the top of the fourth pulled the Great Danes within three – at the time – but that would be it for UAlbany's scoring in the first game.
Winn went 5.2 innings, allowing just two runs – one earned – on one hit while striking out six an walking six.
Matt Geoffrion pitched 3.0 innings in relief, allowing one hit while striking out two.
Maine's 10 runs marked a season-high while the 13 hits tied a season-high.
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Maine (7-19, 3-2 AE) plated two runs in the first inning of the second game to once again take the lead over UAlbany (9-10, 1-4 AE) into the second and not give it up.
Once again, Maine's first-inning runs came with two outs on the scoreboard. Sardinas doubled down the right field line two move Casals – who had walked – to third and give Vicens two runners in scoring position. Vicens delivered with a single up the middle that scored both Sardinas and Casals.
The Black Bears got two more runs in the fourth. Doody's single through the right side scored Vicens – who had singled earlier in the inning – and then Bennett scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-0.
Hernandez would once again hit a solo shot to left field but it would once again be UAlbany's last run of the game.
Arel's 6.1 innings of pitching earned him his second win of the season. The senior struck out five and walked two while giving up six hits and one earned run.
Cody Laweryson came on and retired the lone batter he faced in the top of the seventh.
Just as he had done in the first game,
Connor Johnson retired the lone batter he faced in the game with game two's out earning the senior his first save of the season.
Maine and UAlbany close out the weekend series tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Mahaney Diamond.
-UMaine-
