The University of Maine baseball team swept a pair of games from Manhatten College Saturday at Mahaney Diamond in Orono. The Bears ended up taking three of four games from the visiting Jaspers.
In game one, Maine outslugged Manhatten for an 18-13 win. Maine built as much as a 14-3 lead after four innings.
Jeremy Pena, Christopher Bec, Jonathan Bennett and Caleb Kerbs all had three RBI each for Maine. Brendan Bisset had four RBI for Manhatten, while Brandon Vails and Richie Barella each knocked in three.
Cody Laweryson (3-1) got the win going the first five innings, allowing three runs, all earned, five hits, one walk, and three strikeouts. Matt Simonetti (2-2) got roughed up in the loss, allowing 10 runs, eight earned, 10 hits, two walks, and two strikeouts in 3.1 innings.
In game two, Manhatten took their first lead of the day when Fabian Pena doubled in two runs in the top of the first. Maine responded though with solo homers from Pena and Tyler Schwanz in the bottom half to tie the score 2-2.
Michael Pfenninger regained the lead for the Jaspers in the top of the second with an RBI single to make it 3-2. After the Bears tied it once again in the bottom half of the second on an RBI hit from Kerbs to make it 3-3, Maine scored two in the third and then three runs in the fourth to begin to pull away at 8-3. The final count was 10-6.
Pena and Matt Furlow led Manhatten with two RBI each. Pena for Maine was the offensive leader with three hits, four RBI, and a pair of runs scored.
John Arel (1-0) picked up the win on the mound for Maine while Joey Rocchietti (2-3) suffered the loss for Manhatten.
Maine is now 12-17 overall, Manhatten is 9-23. Maine returns to action Tuesday and Wednesday at home when they face in state teams Thomas College and UMaine- Farmington both at 4 p.m. Maine returns to conference play next weekend at Binghamton with a doubleheader next Saturday at 12, and a single game Sunday at 1 p.m.
Maine catcher Rachel Harvey waits on a pitch from Stony Brooks Lindsey Hughes during action at Mike Kessock Field on Saturday, April 15th, 2017. Photo by Chris Lessner.
Over at Mike Kessock Field, the Maine softball team picked up a big pair of walkoff wins against America East rival Stony Brook.
In game one, the Bears fell behind early in the top of the first when Irene Rivera launched a three run homer to right center field to make it 3-0 Seawolves.
Maine however would put on a late rally. Alyssa Derrick would hit a towering fly ball into shallow left field in the fifth, that would fall between the shortstop and left fielder to bring in a run to make it 3-1. Meghan Royle and Maddie Decker followed suit with RBI singles of their own to tie the score 3-3.
The game remained tied to the bottom of the seventh, when pinch hitter Faythe Goins would single in Royle for the game winner, giving the Bears a 4-3 win.
Erin Bogdonavich (3-8) earned the win in the circle for Maine going seven innings, allowing three runs, two earned, seven hits, no walks, and seven strikeouts. Melissa Rahrich (6-8) took the loss also going seven innings, allowing four runs, all earned, 16 hits, one walk, and two strikeouts.
In game two, it was more late game dramatics for Maine as the game went to extra innings.
Maine took an early lead on a bases loaded walk by Kristen Niland in the first inning to make it 1-0.
Rivera would hit an RBI single up the middle in the top of the third for the Seawolves to tie the game 1-1.
Derrick hit a high towering solo homer to left center field in the bottom half of the third to reclaim a 2-1 lead for Maine.
The Seawolves had the answer again though as Sammy Duffy hit an RBI single in the top of the fourth to tie the score again at 2-2.
The game remained tie after seven innings and moved into the eighth inning. Maddie Decker would single in pinch runner Emily Gilmore in the bottom half for another walk off win for the Black Bears, this time by a 3-2 score.
Molly Flowers (4-7) picked up the win in game two, going eight innings, allowing two runs, only one earned, six hits, three walks, and 10 strikeouts. Lindsay Hughes (2-1) took the loss in relief for Stony Brook, going four innings, allowing one earned run, two hits, three walks, and five strikeouts.
Maine goes to 11-18 overall and now 6-1 in America East play. Stony Brook slips to 9-20, 5-4. The two teams meet again Easter Sunday at 11 a.m. to finish off the three game series.
