COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Trailing by six runs after the second inning, the University of Maine baseball team rallied to score six unanswered runs to tie the game in the seventh, but three runs in the bottom of the eighth led the Maryland Terrapins past the Black Bears, 9-6, in the series finale on Sunday at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium.
 
The Black Bears will enter the three-game series at Liberty next weekend with an 0-7 record, while Maryland is now 4-2 on the season after the sweep.
 
Joe Bramanti smacked his first-career home against the Terrapins, a three-run shot to right field in the sixth inning. Colin Ridley added his 10^th career four-bagger, a solo shot which scored Maine's first run of the game. Both Black Bears had two hits on the day and scored a run.
 
Hernen Sardinas and Caleb Kerbs both provided a clutch RBI in the seventh inning to tie the contest up at 6-6. Mike Sabatine, Jeffrey Omohundro, Ryan Turenne and Jake Roper also tallied hits against the Terps. Sabatine scored twice in the contest to lead Maine in the category.
 
The Terrapins drew first blood in the opening inning of its third consecutive game, putting up a five-spot in the first frame, as Maine starting pitcher Sam McCarthy lasted 1/3 of an inning, allowing two hits, two walks and four earned runs (five total). Trevor DeLaite entered the contest and allowed a single, but picked off a runner and struck out the final batter of the inning to limit the damage to five runs.
 
DeLaite allowed his first earned run in four appearances this season in the second inning, as a solo Maryland home run gave the Terps a 6-0 advantage. The Bangor native got the next two Terps to ground-out and fly-out to exit the second frame.
 
Turenne led off the third inning with a deep double off the right field wall, but he would be stranded on third. Maine would begin the comeback with Ridley's solo home run in the top of the fifth, cutting the deficit to 6-1.
 
Jacob Small would takeover for DeLaite in the fifth, as he allowed a double, but struck out three in the inning to strand the runner on third.
 
In Maine's half of the sixth inning, Sabatine reached base on an error, as Kerbs joined him on the base paths with a walk. After a pop-out, Bramanti smacked his first career home run to right field, which cut the deficit to just 6-4. Maine got a few more runners on base after the home run, but could not plate them home.
 
After Small stranded two runners on the base in the seventh, Kerbs would drive in a run on a ground-out to short, as a Sabatine would also advance to third on the play. Sardinas walked up to the plate and singled home the tying run, as Maine scored six unanswered runs to tie the contest up.

Matt Geoffrion (0-2) took over on the bump for Small in the seventh, as the Terrapins tallied a double, but the redshirt sophomore would strand him at third as the game remained tied heading into the eighth.
 
The Black Bears tallied two walks in the eighth, but could not take the lead over the Terrapins.

In Maryland's half of the eighth, the Terps registered four hits and two walks, as Maryland scored for the first time since the second inning.

In the ninth, Kerbs got on base with a hit-by-pitch and Bramanti singled, but both were stranded as Maine dropped the series finale to Maryland, 9-6.
 
Will Glock (1-0) picked up the win for the Terps who pitched the final out in the eighth inning. John Murphy earned his second save of the season in the ninth.  
 
The Black Bears are off until Friday, when Maine opens up a three-game series with the Liberty Flames. First pitch is set to for Friday at 3:00 p.m. at Liberty Baseball Stadium in Lynchburg, Va.
 
-UMaine-