The University of Maine baseball team knew they had a tough task ahead of them this weekend in their three game home series with UMass-Lowell. Maine likely needs to sweep the Riverhawks to be in position to make the America East playoffs. Maine took the first two steps towards that Friday with a doubleheader sweep of the visitors 7-5 and 5-4 at Mahaney Diamond in Orono.
In game one, Maine took an early 3-0 lead, before the Riverhawks put four on the board in the fourth to take a 5-3 lead.
Maine would rally in the seventh down 5-4, when Brandon Vicens had a two run single, and Cody Pasic drew a bases loaded walk to pick up the come from behind 7-5 win. Vicens had two hits and a pair of big RBI, Caleb Kerbs had a hit with two RBI, and Jeremy Pena led off the game with a solo homer to lead the offense.
Connor Johnson (3-3) pitched three innings of hitless and scoreless relief to pick up the win on the mound. Jeff Gelinas earned his sixth save by striking out the side in the ninth. Former Bangor High standout Justin Courtney went the first five innings allowing four earned runs with five strikeouts.
Game two was a back and forth battle, in which Maine would rally in their last at bat to pick up the walkoff win.
Pena for the second time on the day led off the game with a solo homer in the bottom of the first for the Bears.
The two teams went back and forth and in the fifth with the game tied 2-2, Pena would score on a wild pitch to give Maine a 3-2 lead.
UML took their first lead of game two when Steve Passatempo crushed a two run homer down the left field line in the sixth to put the Riverhawks up 4-3.
Maine would need a run to keep the game going in the bottom of the seventh and they got that. Pena singled in Kerbs to make it 4-4. Pena later in the inning would then score for the second time in the game on a wild pitch, when a pitch by UML reliever Nick Rand went to the backstop and the Bears walked off with a 5-4 win.
Pena led the offense with three hits, two RBI, and three runs scored. Tyler Schwanz also had an RBI for the Bears.
John Arel (2-1) went one scoreless inning in relief to get the win on the hill. Nick Silva started and went 4.1 innings, allowing just one hit and one earned run, but allowed eight walks while striking out seven. Cody Laweryson pitched 1.2 innings in middle relief, allowing two earned runs, two hits, with four strikeouts.
Maine is now 19-24 overall and 6-10 in America East play, while UML goes to 22-25 and 10-12. The finale of the series will be played Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m.
