The season ends for Maine baseball in loss to Louisiana

Published by %s
June 3, 2023

The Maine baseball team needed a win on Saturday afternoon in a losers bracket contest at the Coral Gables NCAA Regional to keep their season alive. That however wasn’t the case, as the America East Champions had their year come to an end with a 19-10 loss to the University of Louisiana-Lafayette at Alex Rodriguez Park on Mark Light Field. The Black Bears were eliminated in their first two games after a 9-1 loss to host Miami on Friday night in their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011.

After a scoreless first inning, Louisiana (41-22) jumped on top for good off sophomore starter Caleb Leys in the bottom of the second putting up a four spot on the scoreboard. Julian Brock, Caleb Stelly, and Max Marusak all had RBI singles to make it 4-0. Maine would make it 4-1 when Jake Rainess singled in Jake Marquez in the third. Louisiana started to get some more separation when Kyle Debarge hit a two-out, three-run homerun in the fourth inning to extend their lead to 7-1 ending the afternoon for Leys. Marquez got two back for the Black Bears with a two-run homer in the fifth, before the Ragin’ Cajuns responded with three in the last of the fifth helped by a two-run double by John Taylor to make it 10-3. Dean O’Neill cut it back to 10-5 with a two-run homerun in the sixth but that five run deficit is as close as they’d be the rest of the way, as Louisiana had a huge seventh inning scoring nine times on eight hits that included a three-run homer by Carson Roccaforte and a two-run shot by Conor Higgs. There was no quit in Maine though as they did put up the final five runs of the game in the eighth, highlighted by a solo homerun by Jeremiah Jenkins and another homer to left field by O’Neill a three-run bomb. The freshman catcher O’Neill didn’t have any homeruns in his 56 at bats entering Saturday.

Leys (5-1) took his only loss of the seaaon going 4.0 innings giving up seven runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Freshman Gianni Gambardella was touched up for eight runs in 2.0 innings of work, while Luc Lavigueur and Colton Carson also saw action on the mound. Rainess, Marquez, and O’Neill all had three hits a piece. O’Neill had the big day with five RBI and the two homeruns and Marquez also drove in two. The Jenkins homer was his 21st of the season in an impressive sophomore campaign for the first baseman. Louisiana had six players record multiple hits in the win led by Brock and Debarge who had three each. Brock, Debarge, and Roccaforte had three RBI a piece. The #6-#9 hitters in the starting lineup combined for eight hits, nine RBI, and scored 10 runs. Carson Fluno (4-1) went 7.0 innings to get the victory on the hill allowing five runs on 10 hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Louisiana stays alive and will face Miami in another elimination game on Sunday afternoon. Texas is in the drivers seat with a 2-0 regional record by beating the Hurricanes on Saturday night, advancing to the championship round. Maine ends the season at 32-21, and now have a combined record of 1-4 in their last two NCAA Tournament appearances.

 

Recap and photo by Chris Lessner/Video highlights courtesy of Maine Athletics 

Photo- Maine sophomore left hander Caleb Leys throws a pitch in a game earlier this season at Mahaney Diamond in Orono. Leys and the Black Bears had their season come to an end on Saturday with a 19-10 loss to Louisiana in the NCAA Tournament 

 

 

Box Score

UME (32-21)  0  0  1   0  2  2   0  5  0- 10 14  2

ULL (41-22)   0  4  0   3  3  0   9  0  x- 19  17  1

WP- Fluno (4-1)  LP- Leys (5-1)

2B- Maine: McElwain, Marquez/Louisiana: Brock, Taylor

HR- Maine: O’Neill 2, Marquez, Jenkins/Louisiana: Debarge, Roccaforte, Higgs

SB- Maine: none/Louisiana: Marusak, Higgs

LOB- Maine: 5/Louisiana: 3

E- Maine: Rainess 2/Louisiana: Higgs

Time- 2:46

 

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