VESTAL, N.Y. – The University of Maine baseball team fought back to take leads on two separate occasions, but the Black Bears could not rally back for a third time, falling to Hartford, 6-5 in an elimination game at the America East Championships on campus of Binghamton University on Wednesday night.
Senior right-handed pitcher
Nick Silva hurled six innings, allowing four earned runs, while striking out five. After allowing four hits and three runs in the first inning, he would scatter three hits and just one run over his final five innings as a Black Bear.
Danny Casals went 2-for-5 from the plate, driving in two runs on his eighth home run of the season.
Hernen Sardinas smacked a two RBI double to give Maine its first lead of the contest in the second inning.
Brogan Searle-Belanger went 3-for-4 from the plate with an RBI single, while
Joe Bramanti,
Colin Ridley,
Caleb Kerbs and
Jeffrey Omohundro all collected a hit.
The Hawks (21-33) came out of the gate hot, striking for three runs in the first inning on four hits and a taking advantage of a Maine error.
In Maine's first at bats of the evening,
Cody Pasic would draw a walk, as Casals belted his 26
th home run of the season. The home run gave the Miami native exactly 100 career RBIs in his Black Bear career.
Silva bounced back to retire the side in order in the second on a strikeout, pop out and flyout.
Omoundro led off the second inning with a single, as he would go on to steal second base. After a strikeout, a Searle-Belanger single would move Omohundro to third, as Maine had runners on the corners with one out. Sardinas would line a double near the left field foul line, as Searle-Belanger and Omohundro would score on the play, a Maine took a 4-3 advantage.
After a few scoreless innings, the Hawks would tie the contest up on a solo home run to left field. Maine responded in the bottom of the sixth inning, as Searle-Belanger belted a single up the middle which scored Kerbs, as the Black Bears reclaimed a 5-4 lead.
Matt Geoffrion took over mound duties in the seventh, earning a quick groundout and strikeout. After a single, wild pitch and walk,
Trevor DeLaite would enter the contest.
An infield single loaded the bases as Hartford's DeMartino would single down the right side to score a pair of runs. DeLaite would get the final batter of the inning to flyout, but the Hawks would take a 6-5 lead.
Casals and Bramanti slashed two one-out singles after the seventh-inning stretch, but a fielder's choice and a groundout would not allow Maine to score in the seventh.
Searle-Belanger recorded his third hit of the game in the eighth, but he would not advance past 90 feet. DeLaite set down the side in order in the ninth, as Maine would face its final three outs of the season.
The No. 5 Black Bears could not put a runner on base in the bottom of the ninth, falling to No. 6 Hartford, 6-5.
Seniors Casals, Kerbs, Silva, Ridley,
Justin Courtney and
Bobby Brennan played in their final game in a Black Bear uniform and old English 'M' cap. The senior class aided the Black Bears to 98 wins over the last five seasons.
Maine ends the 2019 campaign with a 15-34 record.
-UMaine-
