WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – In a rollercoaster doubleheader that featured two one-run contests, the University of Maine baseball team and Hartford split the twinbill, with Maine holding on to win the opener 11-10, while the Hawks rallied in extra innings to down the Black Bears (14-18, 10-9 AE) 5-4 in the nightcap.
From the plate,
Ryan Turenne (4-for-7),
Colin Ridley (4-for-9) and
Jeffrey Omohundro (4-for-9) led the Black Bears in the doubleheader with four hits apiece. Ridley and
Danny Casals each drove in three runs on the day for Maine.
Nick Silva (4-5) got the start in opener, lasting 5 1/3 innings, while giving up six hits and five earned runs in the win. He walked two and struck out seven, while giving up six hits.
Dillon Stimpson would get one out in the sixth, while
Matt Geoffrion would finish the frame and would retire the side in order in the seventh. Trevor DeLaite took over in the eighth inning with two runners on base, not allowing a base runner in two innings of work to earn his sixth save of the season.
All nine Black Bear starters tallied a hit in game one, with eight scoring runs and six recording at least one RBI.
Maine got off to a fast start in game one, as the Black Bears scored five runs in the top of the first inning. Sardinas led off the game with a single, as Pasic would reach on a fielder's choice and Sardinas would move to second on an error. Both runners would move up a bag on a wild pitch, as Casals would drive home the first run of the game on a groundout to short.
Bramanti would follow with a single to left, as Pasic would head home. Bramanti would advance into scoring position on the play after an error by the left fielder. The next batter,
Colin Ridley would double home Bramanti to left center field, as the Black Bears would take a 3-0 lead.
Still with just one out in the first,
Caleb Kerbs would smack his first home run in exactly 100 games, as the two-run home run extended the Black Bear lead to 5-0. He last hit a home run on April 19, 2017 against UMaine-Farmington.
Silva forced three flyouts to in his first action of the day, as each outfielder earned a putout.
Hartford got back into the game with a four run second inning, on three hits and two errors. Two of the runs were earned, as Maine led. 5-4 after two frames.
Both teams could not put a runner on base in the third.
Ryan Turenne led off the fourth with a single, as foul out and pop out would follow. Sardinas earned a single with two outs to put runners on first and second. Pasic would come up big, driving in Turenne on an RBI single to right field as Maine extended its lead to 10-6.
Hartford responded with a two-run home run by Drew Holtgrieve, knotting the contest up at 6-6.
After a scoreless fifth inning, Maine would reclaim the lead with a four-run sixth frame. With one out,
Kevin Doody and
Jeffrey Omohundro would both single, as Doody would advance to third. Sardinas would walk to juice the bases. With Pasic up to bat, Hartford attempted a double play, but the second baseman could not field the ball cleanly, as both Omohundro and Doody would cross the plate. Casals would send home both Sardinas and Pasic on a double to left, as the Black Bears took a 10-6 advantage.
The Hawks countered with a three-run bottom of the sixth on three hits. All three runs crossed the plate via a pair of singles.
With Maine leading 10-9,
Jeffrey Omohundro would connect on his second of three hits, sending home Turenne, as the Black Bears took a two-run lead at 11-9.
Hartford would put its first two batters on base in the bottom of the eight, as DeLaite would enter the contest with no outs. After a double steal, Hartford would come within one run of the Black Bears on a sac-fly to left field. DeLaite would strand the tying run on third, as Maine kept a lead after eight innings.
Omohundro would single and reach second base, but could not get any farther in the top of the ninth.
DeLaite quickly retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth, only needing seven pitches to set down the Hawks, earning his sixth save of the season.
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Cody Laweryson earned the start game two, pitching seven strong innings. He scattered five hits, and two walks while striking out six and allowing just two earned runs. Matt Pushard would enter the contest in the bottom of the eight and tossed an inning-plua. He came up with a pair of clutch strikeouts to extend the game for the Black Bears. DeLaite (1-2) would enter the game in the bottom of the ninth to round out the pitchers.
In game two, Sardinas would earn a spot on first after being hit by a pitch to begin the contest. The junior would advance to second on a groundout and to third on a flyout. With two outs in the frame, Bramanti would find a gap on the right side of the infield, as the single would score Sardinas.
Hartford would get back the run in the bottom of the second, as a groundout would knot the score at 1-1.
The back-and-forth affair continued in the fourth frame, as Bramanti would advance to second on a dropped flyball by the Hartford center fielder. After a strikeout, Bramanti would advance to third on a groundout off the bat of Kerbs. With two outs, Turenne would single home Bramanti to right field, as the Black Bears would take a 2-1 lead.
The lead wouldn't last long, as a Hartford leadoff triple and a groundout to third base would tie the game at 2-2.
Hartford threatened in the bottom of the sixth, as a single and hit-by-pitch would put the first two runners on base. A lineout to short would provide the first out of the inning. On the next at bat, Omohundro would get the sure out at first, as the Hartford base runner would attempt to score a run on the play, but Bramanti would throw home to Turenne, who threw to Pasic at third base, as the junior applied the tag for the third out.
Omohundro led the seventh off with a single, as the Hawks would make a move to bullpen. in Will Nowak, who shared America East Rookie of the Week with Turenne last week entered the contest. Sardinas would fly out to center, but Pasic followed with a bases on balls, moving the go-ahead run into scoring position. Casals would move both runners over on a groundout to shortstop. With Bramanti now up to bat, the catcher mishandled a pitch, as Omohundro attempted to score on the play, but Hartford's catcher, Holtgrieve made a diving tag to get the Hawks out of the inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, a slow-moving groundball went Laweryson, as the junior fired to first, but the throw could not be handled cleanly, as the Hartford runner advanced to second on the error. Laweryson would get the next batter out on his fifth strikeout of the contest. A groundout to short would provide the second out, as the potential game-winning run would move to third base. The Moscow, Maine native would strikeout the final batter of the frame to extend the game to extra-innings.
Maine would load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, a strikeout would prevent the Black Bears on taking their third lead of the game.
Pushard would head to the hill in the bottom of the eighth. As two infield singles would put runners on the corners with just one out. The Brewer, Maine native would get the second out a knee-breaking curveball on a 2-2 count. With the bases loaded Pushard would blow a fastball past the Hartford on a 1-2 count, as Maine escaped the eight to extend the game.
In the top of the ninth, Casals would reach base on a bunt single with two outs in the frame. Bramanti followed with his third hit on the day, with a single to shortstop. Ridley came up clutch with a two-RBI double to left center, as Maine seemed to be in prime position to sweep Hartford.
Pushard would walk the first batter he faced, as DeLaite made his second appearance on the day. After a walk put the potential tying run aboard with no outs, a groundout to the pitcher would move both runners up a bag. A triple to center followed, as both runs scored. With two outs, a misplay on a groundout would win the game for Hartford, as the Hawks walked off with a 5-4 win in the bottom of the ninth.
The rubber match between Maine and Hartford has been moved up to Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. at Fiondella Field. The game was orginally supposed to have a noon start.
-UMaine-
