BALTIMORE, Md. – The University of Maine baseball team jumped out to an early over UMBC in both games of a doubleheader but ultimately dropped the America East pair on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field.
In game one, the Retrievers overcame an early deficit with a seven run third and then added one run in the sixth and eighth innings for a 9-4 win.
Maine opened up the scoring with one run in the top of the second – with
Christopher Bec earning a walk and coming around on a single from
Jonathan Bennett – and made it 4-0 an inning later.
Cody Pasic singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch and then Bennett registered two more RBIs with a two-out double to the center-right gap. Bennett finished game one 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
UMBC, though, responded to Maine's three-run top half with its seven-run bottom half to take a 7-4 lead. The Retrievers sandwiched an RBI single with a two-run home run and a grand slam and ended the inning with five hits.
Two more RBI singles over the final five at-bats for UMBC cemented the win while the Black Bears only had one base runner over that span.
Zach Winn pitched 2.2 innings, giving up seven runs on six hits and striking out three in taking the loss while
Connor Johnson threw 1.1 innings of hitless relief.
Trevor DeLaite pitched the final 4.0 innings, allowing two runs – one earned – on five hits.
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Maine once again jumped out to an early lead in the nightcap, knocking in three runs in the second for a 3-0 edge heading into the bottom of the frame.
Jeremy Pena's ground ball to the right side scored
Colin Ridley, who had been hit by a pitch to begin the inning.
Danny Casals single to left field then brought home
Kevin Doody and
Cody Pasic.
But a solo shot in the second and then a five-run third – including a three-run home run – put UMBC up 6-3 after three full innings.
Pena's fourth home run of the year to start the fourth inning cut Maine's deficit to two runs but once again, UMBC answered back and took advantage of a throwing error to restore the three-run lead.
Maine got the leadoff batter on in the fifth and sixth, but neither runner advanced past second base and UMBC held on for the 7-4 win.
The Black Bears received two hits and one extra base hit apiece from Pena and
Hernen Sardinas in the nightcap, with Sardinas knocking a double and Pena a home run.
Cody Pasic earned two walks, and scored one run.
Colin Ridley was 1-for-2 with one walk, one hit by pitch and one run scored.
John Arel pitched 3.1 innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits while walking and striking out two each. Johnson recorded two outs in relief while
Eddie Emerson pitched the final two innings without allowing a hit.
The teams close out the regular season series tomorrow at 12 p.m.
-UMaine-
