Maines Joe Bramanti waits on a pitch during non-conference baseball action against UMass on Friday, April 19, 2019 in Orono. Photo by Chris Lessner (click to enlarge)
ORONO, Maine- Nick Silva pitched a seven inning no-hitter and freshman pinch hitter Ryan Turenne hit a walkoff grand slam Friday afternoon, as the Maine Black Bears baseball team opened up their non-conference doubleheader in exciting fashion with a 4-1 win over the University of Massachusetts at Mahaney Diamond. The Minutemen bounced back to take game two 7-5 on the back of five RBI from Anthony Videtto.
In the first game a pitchers duel sent the game into the fifth inning with no score, after a Maine threat ended by getting a man thrown out at the plate in the home half of the fourth. After Silva retired the Minutemen leadoff hitter Ryan Lever then walked. Lever stole second, and advanced to third on a passed ball. Alec Norton then walked to put runners on the corners. Kane Medina followed with a suicide squeeze bunt to score Lever from third to make it 1-0 UMass.
Maine had several chances to make some noise other than the runner thrown out at the plate. A double play turned away a Bears rally in the sixth after a Jeffrey Omohundro leadoff single. In their last at bat however the hosts used some heroics to pull of a win in the seventh inning. Danny Casals and Joe Bramanti led the inning off with back to back singles. Colin Ridley then reached on a tapper down the third base line to load the bases with noone out. Caleb Kerbs then hit a grounder in which Casals was thrown out on a force out at home, but Kerbs reached first on the fielders choice. Freshman pinch hitter Turenne then stepped to the plate. Turenne turned around a 1-0 fastball crushing a shot to deep right clearing the fence for a game winning walkoff grand slam. It was his first career homerun.
Silva (3-4) went 7.0 innings allowing one earned run, no hits, with two walks, and two strikeouts to pick up the win on the mound. Justin Lasko (2-4) was the tough luck loser for UMass charged with four runs, six hits, with one walk, and four strikeouts in 6.1 innings.
In the second game UMass took what looked like a commanding 4-0 lead, before Maine rallied with a five run fifth to take the lead, before the Minutemen answered that with a three run sixth themselves to take a 7-5 win and a split of the doubleheader.
Videtto gave UMass a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the first inning. He did it once again in the third with a two run double to stretch to a 3-0 Minutemen advantage. Connor Smith made it 4-0 in the fifth with an RBI single. Maine rallied however in the bottom of the fifth. Turenne walked to leadoff, followed by a Kevin Doody single. After Omohundro grounded out, Hernen Sardinas hammered a 3-2 pitch over the right field fence for a three run homer to cut the deficit to 4-3. Cody Pasic then doubled, before Casals flied out to left for the second out. Joe Bramanti then took the first pitch he saw over the left center field fence for a two run shot to make it 5-4 Black Bears.
Videtto continued his big game stepping up with two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the sixth. Videtto knocked in his fourth and fifth RBI in the game with a two run single to give UMass back the lead 6-5. Smith followed his second RBI single in the game as well to help cap off the scoring and the win for the Minutemen.
Maines Danny Casals looks to make contact on a pitch during doubleheader baseball action against UMass in Orono on Friday, April 19, 2019. Photo by Chris Lessner (click to enlarge)
Former Brewer High standout Matt Pushard (0-3) took the loss in relief for Maine allowing three runs on four hits in 1.0 inning of work, as the Bears used six pitchers. Jack Steele (4-2) got the win for UMass allowing five runs on six hits in 5.0 innings. Casey Aubin picked up his fourth save of the season. Videtto and Dylan Judd both had three hits for the Minutemen. Sardinas had two for the Bears. Maine is now 8-23, while UMass is 12-19. The two teams are scheduled to play single nine inning games Saturday and Sunday at 12 noon, weather permitting.
