ALBANY, N.Y. – Early offensive production helped the University of Maine baseball team take both games of an America East doubleheader on Friday at Varsity Field. The Black Bears took the first game, 6-5, before earning a 8-5 win in the nightcap that was shortened due to darkness.
Hernen Sardinas finished the day 5-for-9 at the plate, smacking two doubles, a triple and two RBIs while scoring four runs.
Jeremy Pena had four hits on the day, including a triple, and scored three runs and knocked in two, while five other Black Bears had multiple-hit performances.
Danny Casals and
Christopher Bec each had three RBIs.
In game one,
John Arel held the Great Danes hitless through the first three frames, allowing the Black Bears to gain a 2-0 edge. Pena's single to lead off the game set the Black Bears in motion. After Sardinas singled the junior to second, Casals drove him in with a sacrifice fly. Two innings later, Sardinas tripled to left center with one out and eventually scored on a double steal for the two-run lead.
Arel was finally touched up in the bottom of the fourth. The Great Danes got a leadoff double from Travis Collins, who eventually scored on a fielder's choice to cut the deficit. The Black Bears got the two-run lead back in the top of the sixth frame when Casals hit a solo shot over the left field wall.
It was the junior's 11th home run of the season, marking the first time since 2010 that a Maine player has hit at least 11 long balls in a season. It's also just the fifth 10-plus home run season in the past 15 years.
After UAlbany tied the game up in the home half of the sixth – using a triple to drive in a previous walk and single – Maine took a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh.
Cody Pasic earned a walk to start the inning, stole second and came home on a Sardinas double.
The Great Danes once again fought back and evened the score at 4-4 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh but Maine took the lead for good in the top of the eighth.
After
Brandon Vicens singled and Pasic earned his second walk of the game, Pena laced a two-out triple to the gap in right center for a 6-4 lead that would be enough to hold off a late UAlbany rally.
The triple was Pena's fifth of the year, making him the first Black Bear since 2011 to have five triples in a season.
Arel pitched 5.2 innings, allowing three runs on three hits while striking out five and walking five.
Connor Johnson pitched 2.0 innings in relief, giving up two runs on three hits in getting his second win of the year.
Zach Winn pitched the final inning for his first save of the season.
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In the second game of the doubleheader, Maine scored six runs in the first inning of the light-shortened match. The Black Bears batted around the order in the inning, scoring five runs before UAlbany registered an out.
Pena drew a leadoff walk and came around a double from Sardinas, who in turn scored on a Bec single. After Bec scored on an error, Vicens bunted his way on to load the bases before
Jonathan Bennett and Casals – who had singled earlier in the inning – scored on another error. Pasic's two-out single to left center plated Vicens to end the top half of the first with Maine in front, 6-0.
In the third, dack-to-back singles and a wild pitch allowed Bennett to score for a 7-0 lead and then Casals singled home Sardinas an inning later.
The UAlbany bats came alive in the home half of the fourth, though, and the Great Danes put five runs on the board on the strength of two-run and three-run home runs.
A scoreless fifth frame gave way to a four-run top of the sixth for Maine, with three runs scoring on wild pitches and two runs coming in on a Bec double. Maine's 12-5 lead would not end up being the final score, as the game was called with two outs to play in the frame due to darkness. The incomplete inning reverted back to the previous score.
Cody Laweryson started and pitched 3.1 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits en route to his second win of the season. Dominic Savino took the loss for the Great Danes.
Maine (16-29, 10-10 AE) and UAlbany (18-24, 8-12 AE) are scheduled to wrap up the regular season series tomorrow at noon.
-UMaine-
