ORONO, Maine – "Heroes Get Remembered, but Legends Never Die" is a four-part series on goblackbears.com that remembers the 1991 Maine baseball team that won a program-record 48 games, won the ECAC Tournament and hosted an NCAA Regional at Mahaney Diamond. The UMaine baseball team and athletic department will be honoring the team on its inaugural Legends Weekend April 20-21 at Mahaney Diamond.
 
On its way to a program-record 48 wins, the University of Maine baseball team did not kick off the 1991 campaign with an easy slate. The Black Bears trekked to Tampa and began its season at the University of South Florida Invitational, facing the likes of the tournament hosts USF Bulls, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and Michigan Wolverines.
 
The Black Bears began its season on Red McEwen Field in the Big Guava against the tournament hosts USF Bulls. It took an extra inning to decide, but ultimately Gary Taylor's go-ahead two-out RBI single in the top of the 10^th inning scored to score Mark Sweeney led to Maine's first opening day win since 1980.
 
The Black Bears continued its strong start to 1991 with a 6-3 victory over Coastal Carolina in the second round of the USF Invitational the following day. The Black Bears scored four-runs in the sixth inning alone, as Maine began a season 2-0 for the first time since 1997. The win advanced Maine to the Championship of the USF Invitational against Michigan.
 
The No. 25 Black Bears looked to face a daunting task in the No. 11 Wolverines in the finale, but Maine would come out the victors with an impressive 16-5 win to earn the championship and remain undefeated. Maine started the game off strong in the bottom of the first inning, as Brian Seguin drew a walk with one out. Sweeney would double home Seguin for the first run of the ball game, as Taylor followed with a two-run home run to increase the lead to 3-0.
 
After the Black Bears built a 10-lead after a Sweeney homer, nationally-ranked Michigan gained momentum with a five-run sixth inning which included a grand-slam, to make it a respectable five-run contest. Maine countered with six runs in its half of the inning, as Maine earned the USF Invitational Championship. The all-tournament team was loaded with Black Bears, as left-handed pitcher Larry Thomas, the shortstop Seguin and outfielders Taylor and Sweeney were all honored. Sweeney was also named the tournament MVP after batting .455 and knocking in six RBIs in three games.
 
With the nationally-ranked Black Bears standing at 3-0, with a win over a top-15 program and a run differential of plus-14, Maine would not have long to celebrate. That night, the Black bears traveled 280 miles south to Miami and would play No. 20 NC State at 2:00 p.m., followed by a 7:00 p.m. contest against Florida International.
 
The Black Bears moved up a spot to No. 24 the Collegiate Baseball Poll in the poll the following morning, as Maine looked to remain undefeated against the higher-ranked Wolfpack that afternoon on March 4.
 
After the lengthy travel to Mark Light Field on the campus of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla., Maine did not get off to a hot start, as NC State led 8-2 after five innings. The Black Bears tallied two runs in the eighth frame to cut the deficit to 10-8, as Maine entered its final at bat down two runs. After Maine put runners on second and third with one out, Glen Domenick would earn an infield single, as a throwing error would tie the game at 10-10 with two runs scoring on the play. Domenick advanced to scoring position on the play, as Shanan Knox would double-home the winning run. Coach John Winkin said of the come-from-behind win that "We just kept coming back and coming back. I thought (RHP) Ronnie Hewes effort was the key".
 
The Black Bears unbeaten at 4-0, holding two wins over ranked opponents and four overall in four days would come to an end later that night, as Maine went to nearby Florida International, falling 12-3. Maine scored the first two runs of the ballgame in the first, but the Golden Panthers took advantage of the tired Black Bears. as Winkin unloaded his bench in the fourth inning to 'get every bodies feet wet'. The following day, Florida International would also earn a 4-2 win over Maine. As Maine played its sixth game of the season, Florida International was in midseason form, playing its 22^nd contest of 1991.
 
The following day, the Black Bears went back to Mark Light Stadium, getting back to its winning ways with a big 14-7 win over Villanova, a team the Black Bears would play two and a half months later in Orono.
 
The victory would spark five consecutive wins, as Maine improved to 9-2 on the year by defeating No. 20 NC State (5-3) for second time on the season, Purdue (8-1), Florida Atlantic (16-8) and Providence (1-0) Maine's streak moved the Black Bears to No. 18 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 25 by Baseball America.
 
 The winning streak would end against No. 21 Southern Illinois, as Maine fell 8-3 and would also drop the night cap to Florida International by a score of 18-4.
 
Behind four double plays and home runs from Seguin and Taylor paced the Black Bears to a 7-1 win over Penn at Mark Light Stadium on March 11, as Ed Therrien pitched seven innings in his second win of the season.
 
The Black Bears would close the spring trip in the Sunshine State with four games against No. 8 Miami and another contest against nationally-ranked Southern Illinois. Thomas pitched a gem in game one against the Hurricanes, going the distance with 12 strikeouts, walking just three and giving up just two unearned runs, but Miami walked off in the ninth with a 2-1 win on March 15. Maine dropped the final five games of the spring trip, all against nationally-ranked foes, and would head up north with a 10-9 record.
 
As of the spring trip, Mark Sweeney led the squad with a .397 batting average and a .706 slugging percentage, smacking with 27 hits, 17 RBIs, three doubles, three triples, and four home runs in 19 games played. Gary Taylor had five home runs for the Black Bears, driving in 21 runs, along with collecting four doubles.
 
On the mound, Larry Thomas (0-2) posted a 2.08 ERA on the spring trip, allowing just five earned runs in 21.6 innings pitched, striking out 25 and walking just eight. Ben Burlingame earned a 3-0 mark, starting four games with a 3.65 ERA, striking out 21. Ted Novio posted four saves on the trip, with a 1.43 era in five appearances.
 
As a team, Maine batted .278, with 99 RBI, with 30 doubles and 13 home runs through the first 19 games.
 
In the next installment of Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die, the Black Bears look to end their losing streak, and hopefully begin a winning trend up in the northeast.
 
Stay tuned to goblackbears.com and @MaineBaseball on Twitter for weekly installments leading up to Legends Weekend, when Maine Baseball honors the 1991 team from April 20-21 in a non-conference series against UMass at Mahaney Diamond.
 
-UMaine-