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, earned ECAC Tournament and NAC Championships 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.

Previous installments: Part 1 | Part 2 
 
After seeing its 23-game New England Division I record win-streak snapped in the second game of a doubleheader on May 4th, the rubber match between the Maine Black Bears (36-14, 13-1 NAC) and Northeastern Huskies (27-10 12-2) on Sunday, May 5^th 1991 at Mahaney Diamond would determine the champion of the North Atlantic Conference and which team would earn an automatic berth in the ECAC Tournament.
 
In front of a crowd of 1,855 in Orono, the visitors would score two unearned runs in the first inning to take an early advantage.
 
Maine would be held scoreless until the fifth frame, when Shanan Knox reached base on an error by the Huskie shortstop. With Knox on first, Brian Seguin would blast his fourth home run of the season over the left field wall to tie the cowntest up at 2-2. The Black Bears would take a 3-2 lead later in the inning, as  Shawn Tobin would cross home plate on a sacrifice fly to center off the batt of Tim Scott.
 
The Huskies would tie the contest back up at 3-3 in the top of the seventh, after a two-out RBI single to right field.
 
Gary Taylor made sure the Black Bears would not be tied for long, mashing his 13^th dinger of the year, and Maine's 61^st home run in 51 games on the season. With Maine leading by a single run at 4-3, Seguin who went 4-for-4 form the plate on the day, slashed a single to right field to score Chad White to provide a pivotal insurance run.
 
In the top of the ninth, Northeastern threatened, tacking on a run to make it 5-4. Mike D'Andrea (6-2), who pitched his best game to date in the season, earned the complete game victory, walking just one batter while striking out eight Huskies on the day, while allowing just two earned runs.
 
The Black Bears' victory secured the NAC Title, and ensured that Maine would host the ECAC Tournament at Mahaney Diamond for the second consecutive season. Before hosting the tournament, the Black Bears would have to play hosts for one final regular season series against Western Carolina, coached by former Black Bear great Jack Leggett in the Fleet Bank Classic.
 
Maine would take the first two games of the five game series by scores of 6-1 and 3-1 before Western Carolina would earn a 14-7 victory in game three. In the fourth game, Maine secured the series win with a 14-11 win in Orono. The final game of the series was eventful to say the least.
 
The Catamounts jumped to an early 7-0 lead in its first inning at the plate in the series finale on May 15. With Maine trailing 11-6 in the sixth inning, Maine head coach John Winkin was thrown out for the first time in his 1,300 career games, for what was believed to be not stopping his team from arguing with the umpire. The Black Bears would rally for three runs the following inning, and scored five runs over the bottom of the eighth and ninth innings to walk off in game five with a 14-13 victory. Chris Karlson would smack a single to the shortstop which scored the tying and winning run in the bottom of the ninth. The win marked Maine's 41^st of the season, one win shy of tying the school record, set the previous year in 1990.
 
After playing its final nine games at Mahaney Diamond the Black Bears were set to host the ECAC Tournament at Mahaney Diamond. The Black Bears would roll past Monmouth (9-3) and LeMoyne (15-11), to set the program record for wins in a season. Maine downed Fordham 5-2 to set up a meeting with a familiar foe in Northeastern.
 
Maine would fall 5-4 for Maine's first loss of tournament. The Huskies had lost earlier in the tournament and defeated Fordham to advance to the championship game, as the Black Bears and Huskies would meet for its second championship game in five meetings in 1991.
 
Ben Burlingame returned to the mound on three days rest, earning his 10^th win if the campaign, as Maine picked up the 12-2 win in the championship game.
 
With two championships under its belt, the Black Bears would reach the NCAA Northeast regional for the 10^th time in school history, hosting the event for the fifth time. How would Maine fair against steep competition in  Villanova, Mississippi State, Towson and Clemson? Find out in the fourth and final installment of Heroes Get Remembered, but Legends Never Die.
 
Stay tuned to goblackbears.com and @MaineBaseball on Twitter for weekly installments leading up to Legends Weekend, when Maine Baseball honors the 1991 team on April 20 in between games of a doubleheader against UMass at Mahaney Diamond.
 
-UMaine-