ORONO- After the Maine baseball team clinched the outright America East regular season title by rallying from a four run deficit with a 6-5 win over Bryant University on a walkoff single by Quinn McDaniel on Thursday evening, the Black Bears would finish the regular season at Mahaney Diamond on Friday and Saturday looking to build momentum heading into the conference tournament next week.
On Friday evening- Maine wrapped up another series win off the strength of a third inning two-run homerun by McDaniel to take the 3-1 victory. Matt McElwain drove in the other run with an RBI groundout in the second. The pitching took care of the rest as Caleb Leys (4-0) started and got the win allowing no runs on four hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in 5.0 innings. Gianni Gambardella pitched the final 4.0 frames giving up one run on four hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Connor Goodman led the team with two hits. Zac Zyons, John Hosmer, and Justin Hackett had two hits a piece for Bryant University. Hosmer had the lone RBI with a double in the sixth. Brett Wichrowski (5-3) was tagged with the pitching loss for the Bulldogs allowing three runs on five hits in 3.0 innings. The Black Bears picked up their seventh conference series win of the regular season out of the eight series they played, with the only blemish being a UMBC series win in Orono back on the weekend of May 5.
On Saturday afternoon- Maine rallied from their second four run deficit in the series and got a walkoff grandslam in the bottom of the ninth inning from Ryan Turenne to sweep Bryant 11-8. The Bulldogs after they had fallen behind for the second time in the game 4-3, got two runs in the sixth and three in the seventh to take an 8-4 advantage. The Black Bears got one back in the home half of the seventh on a Goodman sacrifice fly, and another single run in the eighth on a double by pinch hitter Jeff Mejia to slice it to 8-6. In the bottom of the ninth inning, McDaniel led off with a solo homerun to right centerfield. Jeremiah Jenkins followed by hitting one off the fence in right narrowly missing a homer, but was thrown out at second base trying to extend it to a double. Goodman then reached on an error and Nick White doubled to right. Bryant then intentionally walked McElwain to load the bases, setting the stage for Turenne. The catcher took a 3-2 pitch and lost the baseball deep over the fence in right for the no doubt grandslam to end it. White led the way with four hits (three for extra bases- solo homerun and two doubles), and Rainess and McDaniel had two hits a piece. McDaniel had a two-run homer and a solo shot for three RBI. Maine used six pitchers with Justin Beayens (3-3) pitching the ninth and getting the win. Carmine Petosa and Matt Smith had two hits each for Bryant, with Matt Smith, Derek Smith, and Gavin Noriega all knocking in two runs. Toby Scheidt (2-1) was tagged with the defeat on the hill. The Bulldogs end their regular season at 26-23, 12-12 in America East and will be the #4 seed for the postseason tournament.
Maine, who is the top seed for the conference tournament getting a first round bye, ends their regular season at 29-19 and 19-5 in America East winning five of their last six games entering the playoffs. The Black Bears also went 14-3 at home at Mahaney Diamond.
Recaps/Photos/Video by Chris Lessner
Photos and video from game action on Friday, May 19
Friday Box Score
BRY 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0- 1 8 0
UME 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 x- 3 5 1
WP- Leys (4-0) LP- Wichrowski (5-3)
2B- Maine: none/Bryant: Hosmer, Hackett
3B- Maine: Rainess/Bryant: none
HR- Maine: McDaniel/Bryant: none
SB- Maine: none/Bryant: Zyons
E- Maine: McElwain/Bryant: none
LOB- Maine: 5/Bryant: 10
Saturday Box Score
BRY 0 0 0 3 0 2 3 0 0- 8 9 3
UME 0 1 0 1 2 0 1 1 5- 11 13 3
WP- Beayens (3-3) LP- Scheidt (2-1)
3B- Maine: none/Bryant: M. Smith
2B- Maine: White 2, Rainess, Burrill, Mejia/Bryant: D. Smith, M. Smith, Noriega, Hosmer
HR- Maine: McDaniel 2, White, Turenne/Bryant: none
SB- Maine: Rainess/Bryant: M. Smith 2, Justin, Noriega
E- Maine: McDaniel 2, Turenne/Bryant: Hosmer, Hackett, Bradley
LOB- Maine: 7/Bryant: 8
