Maine starting pitcher Nick Silva delivers a first inning pitch during doubleheader America East baseball action against UMass-Lowell on Saturday, April 13, 2019. Photo by Chris Lessner (click to enlarge)
ORONO, Maine- The Maine Black Bears got to the .500 mark in the America East baseball standings Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader sweep over the UMass-Lowell Riverhawks at Mahaney Diamond.
In the first game, Maine used two huge innings and pounded out 16 hits to cruise to an 18-4 win. Hernen Sardinas got the Bears started with a leadoff homer to right field in the bottom of the first to make it 1-0. Ciaran Devenney did tie things up for UML with a long two out solo homer to right in the top of the second to make it 1-1. The hosts broke it open in the bottom half of the second led by an RBI single by Sardinas, Danny Casals bases loaded walk, Colin Ridley RBI groundout, and a two run double from Joe Bramanti to make it 7-1. Maine later on in the eighth would explode for seven more runs to pick up the win.
Dillon Stimpson (1-0) got the win in relief of Nick Silva. Justin Courtney also fired 5.0 innings of scoreless relief allowing just two hits, a walk, with six strikeouts. Bramanti and Kevin Doody both had four RBI in the win, with Sardinas and Cody Pasic adding three a piece. Connor Metelski (1-5) took the loss for Lowell, and four Riverhawks had an RBI each.
In game two, Pasic continued his big day with three more RBI backing a solid effort from starting pitcher Peter Kemble for the sweep with a 5-3 win.
Maines Cody Pasic makes contact on a pitch during doubleheader baseball action against UMass-Lowell on Saturday, April 13, 2019. Photo by Chris Lessner (click to enlarge)
Ridley put Maine up 1-0 with a sacrifice fly in the first. Pasic extended that to 4-0 with a three run double in the third inning. Michael Young hit a two run homer in the top of the fourth to get the Riverhawks within 4-2, before Jake Roper pushed it back to 5-2 with a solo homer of his own in the bottom half of the inning. Joey Castellanos singled in a run in the sixth for UML to make it 5-3, and Maine closer Matt Geoffrion was able to get out of a bases loaded seventh inning jam after three walks by striking out Ted Leathersich to end it, and give the Bears the sweep on the day.
Kemble (2-1) went 4.0 innings allowing two runs, four hits, with no walks, and four strikeouts. Geoffrion got his second save of the season. Casals also added two hits for the Black Bears. Nick Rand (1-2) took the loss on the hill for UML. Maine is now 6-22, 5-5 America East and will go for the series sweep Sunday at noon. UMass-Lowell is now 7-25, 4-7.
At West Hartford, Connecticut the Maine Black Bears were the home team after the venue was changed because of field conditions in Orono. Despite that the Hawks were able to sweep a doubleheader.
In game one, Paige Fedak hit a solo homer in the top of the fourth inning and starting pitcher Julianna Kocenski did the rest in the circle in a 1-0 Hawks win.
Emma Larke, Shanna Scribner, and Emily Reid had hits for Maine but the Bears were able to send any runs across. Kyleigh O’Donnell (2-5) also went the distance of 7.0 innings in the circle for Maine allowing just one run, four hits, with one walk, and six strikeouts. Kocenski (8-12) allowed just the three hits with one walk and four strikeouts in her 7.0 innings.
In game two, Hartford broke out to a 2-0 lead early before Maine tied it but the Hawks scored two unearned seventh inning runs to take a 4-2 win.
In the top of the first the Hawks got a run on a Black Bear error, then Kiana Harris lifted a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. The score stayed the same until the home half of the fifth when Brianna Neely reached on an error scoring a Maine run, then Laurine Germain hit an RBI fielders choice groundout to tie it 2-2. In the top of the seventh two Black Bear throwing errors led to a two out, two run double by Danielle Rocheleau to provide the difference and the sweep by the Hawks.
Lily Volk (4-5) took the pitching loss allowing four runs (one earned), seven hits, with one walk, and one strikeout in 6.2 innings. Kocenski (9-12) picked up her second win of the day in relief allowing no runs, two hits, no walks, and one strikeout in 3.0 innings. Amanda Nee had two hits and Keely Clark added another in the Maine loss. The Bears are now 8-22, 1-7 America East. They will try to avoid the weekend series sweep Sunday at noon. Hartford is now 15-21, 3-7.
