The Maine baseball team was hoping to improve on a third place standing in the America East conference when they traveled to Hartford Saturday afternoon to play a doubleheader to begin a three game series with the Hawks. The teams ended up splitting the pair in closely contested one run games, with Maine taking game one 11-10 and Hartford taking the second 5-4 in extra innings.
The bats were rolling early for the visiting Black Bears in game one at Fiondella Field. In the top of the first inning Danny Casals hit an RBI groundout, Joe Bramanti singled in a run, Colin Ridley hit an RBI double, and then Caleb Kerbs hit a two run homer to left center to quickly make it 5-0 Maine. The Hawks cut into the lead in the bottom of the second when Drew Demartino hit a two run homer, and Chris Sullivan reached on an error allowing two unearned runs to score to slash the deficit to 5-4. Cody Pasic increased the lead back to a pair in the fourth with an RBI single, before Drew Holtgriev tied it 6-6 in the bottom half with a two run homer to right.
Pasic reached on a Hawks error in the top of the sixth allowing two Black Bears to score for a two run lead yet again. Casals followed that with a two run double to make it 10-6 Maine. Devin Kellogg came right back in the bottom half with a two run single for Hartford, and then Donnie Cahoon singled in another to make it 10-9. Jeffrey Omohundro made it 11-9 with an RBI single in the seventh for the Bears, before the Hawks Demartino closed the gap to a run once again with a sacrifice fly in the eighth. Trevor Delaite though got the final six outs without any runs allowed or hits, including a perfect ninth inning in picking up his sixth save.
Omohundro led Maine with three hits, while Hernen Sardinas, Ridley, Kerbs, and Ryan Turenne had two a piece. Nick Silva (4-5) got the win allowing five earned runs, six hits, with three walks, and seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings. Kellogg and Demartino had two hits each to lead Hartford. Peter Myers (1-2) was tagged with the loss in relief allowing two runs on two hits in just a third of an inning.
In game two and with a Binghamton loss, Maine was looking to move into sole possession of second place in America East. Bramanti gave Maine a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the first, before Hartford tied it when Bryce Ramsay hit an RBI groundout in the second. Turenne gave the Black Bears a one run lead again with an RBI single in the fourth, only to be matched in the bottom half on a sacrifice fly by Kellogg to make it 2-2.
The teams remained tied in the seven inning game into extra innings and the top of the ninth. That is when Ridley came up with a huge hit with a two run double to make it 4-2 Maine. The home Hawks though would rally in the bottom half against Bears relievers Matt Pushard and Delaite. The first two batters walked, and then Robert Carmody laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners to second and third with one out. John Thrasher then flied out to score a run, and Jackson Olson tripled to center to tie it 4-4. Sullivan then hit a grounder to Omohundro at shortstop, that was misplayed for an error allowing Olson to come across for the walkoff win.
Bramanti, Ridley and Turenne had two hits each for Maine. Delaite (1-2) took the loss in relief of Cody Laweryson and Pushard. Laweryson only allowed two runs on five hits in his 7.0 innings. Delaite allowed two runs (one earned) and two hits in two thirds of an inning. Olson had three hits for Hartford, while Ashton Bardzell and Thrasher had two a piece. Will Nowak (6-1) got the win in relief allowing two runs on four hits in 3.0 innings.
Maine is now 14-28, 10-9 America East. Hartford is 18-29, 10-9. Both the Black Bears and Hawks are now a half game behind the Binghamton Bearcats for sole possession of second place in the conference. The two teams will finish off the three game series with a rare start time of 9 a.m. on Sunday.
