Tyler Schwanz smacked an RBI hit down the left field line in the 11th inning Wednesday night, to give the Maine Black Bears baseball team a 2-1 walkoff win over Hartford in an America East Tournament game at LeLecheur Park at Lowell, Massachusetts.
The win kept the season alive for Maine, as the Bears had dropped their first game of the day to Albany 3-0. Maine will now await their next opponent for a Thursday evening 4 p.m. elimination game.
In the first game of the day, Albany starter Jack McClure (4-1) outdueled Maine starter Jonah Normandeau (2-6).
Maine was held to six hits by McClure, as he struck out six as well in his 6.1 innings of work. Dominic Savino got his sixth save and allowed no runs or hits in the final 2.2 innings. Normandeau allowed two runs, one earned, four hits, with one walk, and two strikeouts in his 5.1 innings thrown.
Albany got a solo homerun from Alex Thul and an RBI from Matt Hinchy. Travis Collins had a pair of hits and scored a pair of runs. Schwanz had two hits for Maine.
Maine got off to an early 1-0 lead in an elimination game with Hartford, as Schwanz hit an RBI double into the right center field gap, scoring Christopher Bec in the bottom of the first.
Maine held that lead until the eighth inning, that’s when Ben Bengtson picked up an RBI single for the Hawks to make it 1-1.
Maine set up the winning hit in the bottom half of the 11th, when Jeremy Pena led off with a single. Lou Della Fera then laid down a sacrifice bunt to get Pena to second base. After an intentional walk to Bec, Schwanz laced one down the left field line to provide the heroics, scoring Pena from second for the game winner.
Justin Courtney pitched a brilliant eight innings for Maine. Courtney threw a 136 pitches, and allowed just one run, four hits, with four walks and eight strikeouts. Jeff Gelinas (1-3) picked up the win in relief, allowing just one hit, three walks, with five strikeouts in final five innings.
