Nic Pepe hit a game winning grandslam in the sixth inning on Saturday afternoon, as the Maine baseball team took the rubber game of a three game America East Conference series over Bryant 5-2 at Mahaney Diamond in Orono.
The Bulldogs scored in their first at bat on a wild pitch, and held that 1-0 lead while holding the Black Bears hitless into the bottom of the sixth inning. Shane Andrus led off the home half of the sixth with a walk, and with one out Jack Quigley also took ball four. Chris Bear then had the first Maine hit with a single to load the bases, and Brody Rasmussen followed with the same to score Andrus and tie the score 1-1. Pepe was next up and smashed a 2-1 pitch over the rightfield fence and off the scoreboard for a grandslam with his second homerun of the series that provided the difference. Tommy Martin got out of a one out, bases loaded jam with two strikeouts to end it in the ninth and earned the save with multiple innings of relief.
Hunter Kingsbury led Bryant with two hits, while Jacob Gaudreau knocked in a run. Jackson Vanesko took the pitching loss in relief, as the Bulldogs fall to 17-12 and 5-4 in America East. Other than the huge grandslam by Pepe, Maine got a pair of hits from Rasmussen as they were outhit 7-4. Vaun Larisa pitched solidly in a no-decision on the mound allowing one run on three hits with five walks and four strikeouts in 5.0+ innings. Brennan Rumpf (Falmouth) was credited with the win in 1.0 inning of relief. Rumpf entered in the sixth with a runner on third and no outs and stranded him there. Martin went 3.0 innings giving up one run on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts while earning his first save of the year. The Black Bears for the first time move above .500 in conference play at 5-4 (7-22 overall). They will play three non-conference games in Boston next weekend vs Northeastern on Saturday and then a doubleheader vs Merrimack and Northeastern on Sunday.
Photos courtesy of UMaine Athletics
