Bears open with 3 straight wins to take tourney

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TAMPA, Fla. – For the first time since 1977, the University of Maine baseball team has opened its season with three consecutive wins.

Senior center fielder Mark Sweeney and senior right fielder Gary Taylor each slugged a two-run homer and a double and Sweeney also had a single as the Bears posted a 16-5 win over Michigan in the championship game at the University of South Florida Invitational Tournament here Sunday.

Maine had beaten Coastal Carolina (S.C.) 6-3 on Saturday after opening the tourney with a 5-3 10-inning win over South Florida on Friday night.

On Sunday, the Bears jumped on Michigan starter Jeff Tanderys for three first-inning runs en route to building a 10-0 lead.

Brian Seguin drew a one-out walk to open the first, Sweeney doubled him home and Taylor then homered.

Maine got three more in the third on Seguin’s single, a walk to Sweeney, Tim Scott’s run-scoring single, a run-producing error and singles by Shawn Tobin and Gabe Duross.

The Bears made it 8-0 off reliever Eric Persinger in the fourth on Chad White’s single and Sweeney’s homer.

After making it 10-0 with a pair of fifth-inning runs, the Wolverines rallied for five runs off Bear starter and winner Mike D’Andrea on three walks, a base hit and Mike Matheny’s grand slam.

Rob Higgins came on to replace D’Andrea and pitched 1 1/3 innings of one-hit shutout relief.

The Bears added six insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

D’Andrea allowed six hits in his 5 2/3 innings, striking out three and walking five.

Sweeney drove in four runs with his three hits and Seguin also had three hits, including a triple, and two RBIs in Maine’s 17-hit attack. Taylor, Shanan Knox and Duross had two hits and two RBIs apiece. Maine had nine extra-base hits.

Nate Holdren had two hits for 6-2 Michigan, which had been ranked 11th in the Baseball America Division I baseball poll earlier this week.

In Saturday’s game against Coastal Carolina, Ben Burlingame hurled six innings of six-hit one-run baseball and the Bears broke open a close game with four sixth-inning runs.

Burlingame walked five and struck out four before giving way to Chuck Nadeau and Ted Novio. Novio got the final two outs with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth to notch his second save in as many games.

Maine was clinging to a 2-1 lead entering the sixth when Duross opened the rally by reaching on an error. White walked and Knox singled home Duross. Seguin laid down a bunt single to load the bases, Sweeney hit a sacrifice fly and Scott rapped a two-run single.

Maine had taken a 2-0 lead with a pair of first-inning runs on a Knox double, a walk, Sweeney’s single, a double play grounder by Scott and Taylor’s RBI single.

Knox, Seguin, Taylor and Duross had a pair of hits apiece for Maine. One of Knox’s hits was a double.

Luis Lopez had three hits for Coastal Carolina while Chris Missler and Ed Fortney had two apiece. Lopez and Missler had doubles.

Maine will play a pair of games on Monday, facing nationally-ranked North Carolina State at 2 p.m. at the University of Miami’s Mark Light Stadium before traveling to play Florida International at 7 p.m. Lefty Ed Therrien and righty Jason Dryswak will get the starting assignments.

Bears 16, Wolverines 5

Michigan Maine

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Timmerman, 2b 4 0 1 0 Knox, 3b 5 1 2 2

Buerkel, rf 4 0 0 0 Seguin, ss 4 3 3 2

Flannelly, 3b 4 0 1 0 Sweeney, cf 4 3 3 4

Ruff, lf 2 0 1 0 Scott, 2b 3 1 2 1

Fairman, 1b 3 1 1 0 Taylor, rf 4 3 2 2

Holden, dh 4 1 2 0 Tobin, dh 3 0 1 0

Winston, cf 2 1 0 1 Livingston, dh 1 0 0 0

Matheny, c 2 1 1 4 Duross, 1b 4 2 2 2

Wyngardon, c 0 0 0 0 Kelliher, c 4 1 1 0

Everly, ss 2 0 0 0 White, lf 4 2 1 0

Maloney, pr 1 1 0 0

Totals 28 5 7 5 Totals 36 16 17 13

Michigan 000 005 0 – 5

Maine 303 226 x – 16

E – Scott, Everly 2, Timmerman 2B – Sweeney, Scott, Kelliher, Taylor, Duross, Knox, Fairman 3B – Seguin HR – Taylor (1), Sweeney (1), Matheny LOB -Michigan 8, Maine 6 DP – Maine 1 (Seguin-Scott-Duross)

Pitching Summary

PITCHER IP H R BB SO

Tanderys (L) 2 2/3 6 6 3 1

Persinger 1 1/3 3 2 0 1

Feldman 2 8 8 1 2

D’Andrea (W,1-0) 5 2/3 6 5 5 3

Higgins 1 1/3 1 0 0 0

WP – D’Andrea

Black Bears 6, Chanticleers 3 (Saturday’s Game)

Coastal Carolina Maine

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Leszczy’ki, cf 5 0 0 0 Knox, 3b 4 2 2 1

Fortney, ss 4 1 2 0 Seguin, ss 4 2 2 0

Taylor, 2b 5 0 1 0 Sweeney, cf 3 0 1 1

Cribb, 1b 3 1 1 0 Scott, 2b 5 0 1 2

Missler, lf 5 0 2 1 Taylor, rf 3 0 2 1

Lopez, dh 4 1 3 0 Tobin, dh 5 0 0 0

Lambert, pr 0 0 0 0 Livingston, pr 0 0 0 0

Hatch, rf 4 0 0 0 Duross, 1b 5 1 2 0

Cary, 3b 1 0 0 0 Kelliher, c 4 0 1 0

Scott, ph 1 0 0 0 White, lf 2 1 1 0

Morrissey, 3b 2 0 0 0

Dubrosky, c 1 0 1 2

Totals 35 3 10 3 Totals 35 6 12 5

Coastal Carolina 010 000 011 – 3

Maine 200 004 00x – 6

E – T. Scott, Taylor (CC), Fortney, Livingston 2B – Knox, White, Lopez, Missler LOB -Coastal Carolina 14, Maine 13 DP – Coastal Carolina 1, Maine 1 SB – Knox, Taylor (CC) S – Hatch

Pitching Summary

PITCHER IP H R BB SO

Lincoln (L,1-2) 5 1/3 9 6 5 4

Iorzano 1 3 0 0 0

Bergman 1 2/3 0 0 2 0

Brlngame (W,1-0) 6 6 1 5 4

Nadeau 2 1/3 4 2 2 2

Novio (S,2) 2/3 0 0 1 1

WP – Lincoln 2, Nadeau TIME -3:22