WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – After falling in its first game of the day to Sacred Heart, the University of Maine baseball team came back to top Monmouth, 15-10, at MU Baseball Field.
Maine had 21 hits in the win against the Hawks, the most in a game for the Black Bears since collecting 21 in an 18-10 win at Lafayette on April 30, 2015. The Black Bears finished with six home runs on the day - three in each game - with three from
Danny Casals. Casals also scored five runs while
Christopher Bec finished 6-for-10 with five runs scored and two RBIs and
Jonathan Bennett went 6-for-11 with five RBIs and five runs scored.
Colin Ridley finished the day with five hits, four runs scored and four RBIs.
Against Sacred Heart, Casals sent a solo shot to left field to stake Maine to a 1-0 lead after half an inning, but the Pioneers showed patience at the plate in their first at-bats, with five walks and one hit by pitch giving way to a 3-1 lead.
After a scoreless second, the Pioneers added two runs in the third and one in the fourth to take a 6-1 lead into the fifth.
Down but not out, the Black Bears clawed back into the game, led by
Kevin Doody. After a bunt single down the first base line, Doody stole second and then stole third. His aggressiveness on the base paths led to a throwing error and he able to make it home. Soon after, Casals hit his second home run of the game to cut the deficit to three. Bec' home run in the top of the sixth made it 6-4 and then Doody drove in a run on a fielder's choice.
Sacred Heart regained the three-run lead on Austin Markmann's opposite field home run into the wind in the seventh but Maine yet again fought back and this time tied it up.
Trailing by two heading into the top of the ninth, Maine put together four straight hits with two outs to tie it up, 8-8. After
Hernen Sardinas singled to center, Bec doubled to give Maine two runners in scoring position. Bennett's bloop single to center then scored Sardinas and Bec.
Unfortunately, a single, sacrifice bunt and another single manufactured the walk-off winning run for the Pioneers (9-17) in the 9-8 win.
Cody Laweryson took the loss for Maine after coming on in relief. Maine had 13 hits to Sacred Heart's eight.
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The Black Bears continued to hit in the first inning of their second game of the day, putting five runs on the board in the top of the frame against Monmouth. Pena led off with a single and then singles from Bec and Bennett scored Pena and Casals, respectively. A
Colin Ridley double scored Bec, a sacrifice fly knocked in Bennett and then Ridley scored on an error for the five-run cushion.
Monmouth hit a three-run home run in the bottom half of the first to make it 5-3.
Maine put together a two-run third inning – on a Bennett home run and a
Cody Pasic two-out single to drive in Ridley – and a two-run fourth inning – with Doody and Pasic getting the RBIs – to give Maine a 9-3 lead after four.
In the seventh, Casals hit his third long ball of the day and Bennett singled home Bec before Maine manufactured four runs in the top of the ninth, including a home run from Ridley, to make it 15-6.
The Hawks had added three runs in the seventh and put up four in the ninth but
Eddie Emerson buckled down for the save.
John Arel pitched 5.0 innings for the win, giving up three runs on four hits while striking out five and walking three.
Maine (10-22) will close out the non-conference weekend tomorrow with a 12 p.m. game against Monmouth (10-19).
-UMaine-
