March 28, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Black Bears take two from Huskies

PORTLAND – Scoring two-out runs has become a trademark of this year’s University of Maine baseball team.

The Black Bears scored three fourth-inning runs after having two outs and nobody on and went on to post a 6-2 victory over the University of Southern Maine Huskies.

That completed a sweep of Thursday’s doubleheader as Maine won the opener 13-6.

The Bears are now 33-14 while USM slipped to 24-8. The Huskies were without starting first baseman and runs batted in leader Jake Fowler and starting center fielder Mike Ramshaw.

In the nightcap, the Bears were holding a 3-2 lead when Chad White ignited the fourth-inning rally with a sharp single to right.

Shanan Knox walked and Brian Seguin grounded a single to center to score White. Knox beat the throw to third and Seguin took second on the throw.

Mark Sweeney then grounded a two-run single up the middle that glanced off the glove of lunging second baseman Jim Broughton.

“He threw me curve and my grounder took a turf hop,” joked Sweeney.

Sweeney had helped stake Maine to a 3-0 lead by turning on a Bob Aceto pitch and lofting a two-run homer to right in the third inning. Seguin had reached on a bunt single to open the inning.

“He had made a couple of throws to first to keep Brian close, so I knew he was going to come with a fastball,” said Sweeney.

Loser Aceto, now 4-4, had four-hit Maine 1-0 in Orono a year ago to snap Maine’s 65-game in-state winning streak.

“It was up in the strike zone. It was a good pitch to hit.”

Maine had taken a 1-0 lead with a two-out run in the second inning on Shawn Tobin’s double and White’s single, both of which went to right field.

The Huskies battled back for two runs in the third inning on a walk to Tom Coyne, Steve Claire’s ringing double to left center, an error by third baseman Knox on his throw to the plate on Don Lary’s grounder, a walk, and Scott Dutton’s sacrifice fly.

Freshman righthander Jason Dryswak started for the Bears and was replaced by Rob Higgins after Claire hit his third-inning double. The two runs were charged to Dryswak but both were unearned.

Higgins hurled 2 2/3 innings of one-hit shutout relief to pick up the win. Higgins, now 4-2, finished with three strikeouts and three walks.

Chuck Nadeau came on to hurl two impressive innings of two-hit shutout relief with three strikeouts and one walk.

“We were overmatched,” said USM Coach Ed Flaherty. “That’s as good a Maine team as I’ve seen in many years.”

Seguin had three hits for Maine with Sweeney and White getting two each. Bob Prince had two hits for USM.

In the opener, Craig Ender hit the first grand slam of his life to highlight a seven-run fourth inning that carried the Black Bears to the win.

Maine had squandered a 5-0 lead as the Huskies rallied for five third-inning runs to tie it up. But the Bears reached USM starter and loser Greg Coppeta for seven runs in the fourth inning.

Mike DeLucia opened the fourth with a single to center and Paul Kelliher grounded a single to left. White reached on a bunt single when no one covered first base. Knox followed by grounding a two-run single to center and Seguin walked to load the bases.

Sweeney delivered a run with a fielder’s choice and stole second. Cleanup hitter Andy Hartung was walked intentionally before Ender hit Coppeta’s 1-0 pitch over the fence in left-center some 350 feet away.

“It was a fastball as far inside as it could be and still be a strike,” said Coppeta, whose record slipped to 8-1 and 21-2 in his career after his first regular-season defeat.

Ender told a different story.

“I thought it was up and over the plate,” he said. “It was a good pitch to hit.”

Coppeta was nicked for 12 runs in his four innings and that swelled his earned run average from 2.04 to 3.67.

Maine added an insurance run in the seventh off John Lano on Hartung’s run-scoring grounder to shortstop.

Maine had taken a 5-0 lead with four runs in the first inning and one in the third.

In the first inning, Sweeney drew a two-out walk and scored when Hartung’s routine fly ball fell between right fielder Bob Prince and center fielder Lary for a run-scoring double. Ender followed with a bad-hop single and Tim Scott belted an 0-2 pitch over the fence in left for a three-run homer.

Hartung homered in the third, a deep shot to center field to make it 5-0.

The Huskies rallied for five runs after two were out in the third inning.

Following a one-out walk to Mike Normandeau, Steve Claire and Lary hit two-out singles to load the bases. Prince lined a two-run single to left and Scott Dutton was credited with a two-run double when left fielder White misplayed his fly ball. Broughton singled home Dutton to tie the score.

Tom Coyne’s solo homer in the fourth accounted for USM’s final run.

Ted Novio went the first four innings to gain his fourth win in six decisions for the Bears. Gary Taylor pitched two scoreless innings before Jim Dillon came on to pitch a scoreless seventh inning.

Ender and Kelliher had three hits apiece to spark Maine’s 17-hit attack. DeLucia, Scott, and Hartung had two hits each.

Prince had two hits for USM.

Black Bears 6, Huskies 2

(Second Game)

Maine Southern Maine

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Knox, 3b 3 1 1 0 Claire, 3b 4 1

1 0

Seguin, ss 4 2 3 1 Lary, cf 2

0 0 0

Sweeney, cf 4 1 2 4 Prince, rf

3 0 2 0

Hartung, rf 3 0 0 0 Dutton, lf 2

0 0 1

Ender, c 3 0 0 0 Broughton, 2b

3 0 1 0

Scott, 2b 4 0 1 0 Zucharios, 1b

3 0 0 0

DeLucia, 2b 3 0 0 0 Boyle, dh

3 0 0 0

Tobin, dh 3 1 1 0 Normand’u, c

2 0 1 0

Taylor, dh 0 0 0 0 Coyne, ss 2

1 0 0

White, lf 4 1 2 1

Totals 31 6 10 6 Totals 24 2

5 1

Maine 012 300 0 – 6

Southern Maine 002 000 0

– 2

E – Knox, Claire

2B – Seguin, Knox, Tobin, Claire

HR – Hartung (9)

LOB – Maine 9, Southern Maine 9

DP – Broughton to Zacharias

SB – Hartung, White, Sweeney, Broughton

SF – Dutton

Pitching Summary

PITCHER IP H R BB

SO

Drysnak 2 1/3 2 2 2

1

Higgins (W,4-2) 2 2/3 1 0 2 3

Nadeau 2 2 0 1 3

Aceto (L,4-4) 5 8 6 2

2

Niles 2 2 0 3

0

WP – Aceto, Higgins

TIME -2:25

Bears 13, Huskies 6 (Twilight Game)

Maine men Southern Maine

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Knox, 3b 5 1 1 2 Claire, 3b 4 1

1 0

Seguin, ss 4 1 1 0 Lary, cf

4 1 1 0

Sweeney, cf 4 2 1 1 Prince, rf

3 1 2 2

Hartung, rf 4 3 2 3 Dutton, lf

3 1 1 2

Ender, dh 3 2 3 4 Broughton, 2b 3 0 1 1

Tobin, dh 1 0 1 0 Z’charias, 1b

3 0 0 0

Scott, 2b 5 1 2 3 Boyle, dh 3 0 0 0

DeLucia, 1b 4 1 2 0 Nor’deau, c

2 1 0 0

Kelliher, c 4 1 3 0 Coyne, ss

3 1 1 1

White, lf 3 1 1 0

Totals 37 13 17 13 Totals 28 6

7 6

Maine 401 700 1 – 13

Southern Maine 005 100 0

– 6

2B – Hartung, Tobin, Prince, Dutton

HR – Scott (7), Hartung (10), Ender (1); Coyne (2)

LOB – Maine 8, USM 2

SB – Sweeney 3 (20), Seguin (13)

Pitching Summary

PITCHER IP H R BB

SO

Novio (W,4-2) 4 6 6 1

3

Taylor 2 1 0 0

3

Dillon 1 0 0 0

1

Coppeta (L,8-1) 4 12 12 4 0

Lano 3 5 1 0

3

TIME -2:26


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