ORONO - The University of Maine baseball team earned a split on Friday afternoon in their first day of a two-day series with Binghamton, taking the first game by a 2-0 final behind Nicholas Sinacola before dropping the second gme by an 8-3 final. 

Nick Sinacola, the reigning America East co-Pitcher of the Week, picked up right where he left off last time out and was perhaps even slightly better today. The junior right-hander posted 15 strikeouts in seven innings, going the distance in game one while allowing just three hits and two walks. 

The offense came out hot, scoring two runs in the first inning, but cooled off for what would turn out to be the rest of the afternoon largely.

Quinn McDaniel led off the inning with a single in his return to the starting lineup, followed by a Jeff Mejia walk. Sean Lawlor drove home McDaniel with a single through the left side, and Mejia scored a few batters later on a broken play to make it 2-0 Maine. That's all the distance Sinacola needed, as he struck out four of the last six batters he faced to pick up the win.

Game two, slated for nine-innings, was a battle through seven. Noah Lewis put up another solid performance for Maine, going six innings and giving up just three runs (two earned). The Black Bear lineup battled back to tie things at 3-3 in the sixth inning, as Joe Bramanti drove in Scout Knotts for his second RBI of the game. Unfortunately, the wheels came off for Maine in the final two frames. The bullpen gave up five runs, and the lineup went ice cold, picking up just one hit in the final three innings. Binghamton secured the 8-3 win, and the split. 

Maine and Binghamton will dance again tomorrow, another doubleheader slated to begin at 11:00am.