ORONO, Maine – In the final game before the America East Championships, the University of Maine baseball team fell to Binghamton, 7-2, in the regular season finale on Saturday afternoon at Mahaney Diamond.
Maine finishes the 2019 regular season with a 15-32 overall record and 11-12 in America East play. The Black Bears will head to Vestal, N.Y. as the No. 5 seed, taking on No. 4 UMass Lowell in the opening game at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 22
nd.
The Bearcats (23-22, 12-9 AE), the host school, earned the third seed in the tournament and will play No. 6 Hartford at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Prior to the game, the University of Maine baseball team honored 1964 College World Series Most Outstanding Player, Joe Ferris to the Wall of Legends. Maine Head Coach
Nick Derba and Ferris addressed the crowd in Orono, as his name and number was unveiled on the outfield wall. Ferris threw out the first pitch to his college catcher and former New York Yankees manager, Carl 'Stump' Merill.
For more information on Ferris' accomplishments,
click here.
Caleb Kerns and
Mike Sabatine registered the RBIs in the contest for the Black Bears. Sabatine, Heren Sardinas,
Danny Casals,
Ryan Turenne and
Joe Bramanti all collected hits against the Bearcats.
Sabatine, who increased his batting average from .094 to .191, this past week, recorded at least one hit in every game, going 5-for-10 against Binghamton with two RBIs.
The Black Bears used six different pitchers, with
Peter Kemble (L, 3-7) getting the start for Maine in the finale. He lasted 2 1/3 innings, allowing four earned runs (six total).
The Bearcats struck for four runs in the first inning, on four hits and an error. Maine cut the deficit to three runs in the bottom of the second, as a sacrifice-fly to centerfield would score Bramanti, who reached base on a walk.
In the top of the third, the Bearcats added two runs on three hits and a pair of Black Bear errors with the runs coming off of an RBI double.
After several scoreless innings, Maine scored its second run on an RBI single off the bat of Sabatine, as Bramanti scored his second run of the game.
Binghamton added an insurance run in the top of the eighth, securing a 7-2 win at Mahaney Diamond.
The Black Bears and River Hawks will meet Wednesday morning at 11:00 a.m. at the Bearcats Baseball Complex. For more information, visit the America East Championship Central.
-UMaine-
