Despite just their second loss in conference play during a doubleheader on Friday, the Maine baseball team came away with an America East series win with a victory on Saturday over UMass-Lowell at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Game 1 on Friday (7 inning contest)- Colin Plante hit a tie-breaking grandslam homerun in the fifth inning to give Maine the lead for good at 6-2 as part of an 8-4 win. Connor Goodman had three hits, while Jeremiah Jenkins and Plante had two a piece. Plante knocked in four runs with his game winning grandslam, and Goodman had two RBI. Colin Fitzgerald (5-1) earned the pitching victory allowing four runs on three hits with four walks and six strikeouts in 5.0 innings. Gerry Siracusa had two hits and two RBI, and Jacob Humphrey added a two-run homer in the loss for UMass-Lowell. Matt Draper (2-6) was tagged with the defeat on the hill allowing six runs on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 5.0 innings.
Game 2 Friday (nine inning contest)- A low scoring affair saw both starting pitchers not allow an earned run. UMass-Lowell took advantage of a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh and split the doubleheader with a 2-1 victory. The Riverhawks broke the scoreless tie when Matt Tobin doubled in a run in the sixth inning. Maine responded with an unearned run of their own in the top of the seventh when Dean O’Neill hit an RBI sacrifice fly. The hosts got the game winner in the last half when Jacob Humphrey singled with one out, stole second and third base, then scored on a Gianni Gambardella wild pitch. The Black Bears got two runners on in the ninth with two outs, but Jake Marquez popped out to the shortstop to end it. Caleb Leys got a no-decision allowing no runs on one hit with four walks and five strikeouts in 5.0 innings. Gambardella (4-2) took the loss. Jenkins had two hits. Joshua Becker (3-2) also was impressive on the hill in picking up the win for UML, allowing one run (none earned) on four hits with no walks and six strikeouts in 7.1 innings. LJ Keevan got his first save allowing just one hit in relief of Becker.
In the series finale on Saturday morning- Maine scored seven times over the second and third innings and cruised to the series win with an 11-5 victory. Jenkins led the offense with three hits and four RBI, including a three-run homerun in the ninth his 17th long ball on the season. Jenkins now has 65 RBI that leads America East. Goodman had two hits and three knocked in, while Jake Rainess also had two hits with two RBI. Noah Lewis improved to 5-1 as he allowed four runs on five hits with four walks and eight strikeouts in 7.0 innings on the mound. Nick DiRito (3-3) was tagged with the pitching defeat as he gave up four runs (none earned) on five hits in 2.0 innings. Robert Gallagher had two RBI and Humphrey had two hits for UMass-Lowell, as their record falls to 13-28 and 6-12 in conference play.
Maine is now 23-15, 13-2 in America East and returns home to open a three game conference series with UMBC on Friday at 4 p.m. in Orono. The Retrievers are in second place and were swept by the Black Bears in Baltimore in a three games series back on March 17 and 18.
Recap by Chris Lessner
