W. Hartford, Conn. - The University of Maine baseball program finished a crucial weekend at Hartford with an explosive 16-6 win ono Sunday afternoon, with the Black Bear lineup leading the way with six home runs to propel Maine to the 3-1 series win.

It was freshman Jake Marquez setting the pace for the Black Bears, as the Maine shortstop powered his first career home run in the second inning  to give Maine an early 3-0 lead. From there, Maine simply never stopped as every batter recorded a hit, eight recorded runs, and seven drove in runs in the season-high 16 runs and 16 hits.

Sean Lawlor and Ryan Turenne both maintained their blistering hot stretch of play, as the duo both popped a pair off home runs each in the win. Lawlor went 5 of 15 at the plate over the weekend with five runs scored and five driven in, while Turenne went nine for 14 over the four-game series with six runs scored and six batted in. 

Scout Knotts went deep on Sunday, a no-doubter that gave him four home runs in his first season in Orono. Turenne, Marquez, and Jayson Gonzalez all scored three runs on the afternoon. 

On the mound, Tyler Nielsen went three innings before being derailed by a rain delay that lasted nearly two hours. Jacob Small came in from the bullpen after the break and was stellar, working 3.2 scoreless innings of one-hit relief to earn the win.

After dropping a frustrating game one to Hartford, Maine went on to outscore the Hawks 37-8 over the next 23 innings to earn three critical victories. At time of publishing, Maine has now earned their way into the second spot in the America East 'A' Division and one of the four postseason berths up for grabs. For the latest standings, click HERE. 

Now the Black Bears face another set of critical games, as they'll face UAlbany, the current top dog in the 'A' Division, next weekend at Mahaney Diamond.