ORONO – With final exams beginning today, the members of the University of Maine baseball team don’t need any extra pressure on the diamond.

Yet, the Black Bears have spent most of the 1998 season trying to come from behind in league games and in the America East standings.

Maine continued the familiar pattern Sunday, splitting a conference doubleheader against Drexel at Mahaney Diamond. The Bears rallied to win the opener 15-14 in 11 innings, but the Dragons prevailed 9-5 in the second game.

Saturday’s games were rained out, so coach Paul Kostacopoulos’ 20-24 Bears take an 8-14 America East record into today’s important 1 p.m. makeup doubleheader against Drexel (17-30, 9-13).

Maine remains alive in the postseason hunt, but could use a sweep in Monday’s twinbill. The Bears realize the pressure is building.

“It’s tense just because we know that we have to win,” said junior catcher Kregg Jarvais. “We put ourselves into a situation in the conference where we need to come out and win probably all of our games now. It’s a challenge. We’ve just got to meet it.”

Monday’s finals bring added stress for some of the Bears, who know they must achieve balance.

“Hopefully, we can fight through that and still come ready to play,” said senior Keith Croteau, who has no exams Monday. “I think everyone’s still up [emotionally]. We know what we have to do.”

The Bears squandered a 6-0 lead, then exhibited their resilience, in the opener. Maine wiped out three deficits in the final five innings.

Maine’s persistence paid off in the 11th against Mike Zwanch. Rex Turner was hit by a pitch and Tony Fernandez walked. Pinch hitter Bryan Harvie reached when first baseman Lou Marchetti bobbled his sacrifice bunt. A wild pitch plated the tying run.

Jarvais walked, then Croteau waited out Zwanch for a walk that forced in the winning run.

Jarvais had sent the game into extra innings, crushing a one-out, three-run home run to center off Eric Metzger in the seventh.

“We’re a team that’s going to battle. That’s the way Kosty’s teams are,” Jarvais said. “It felt good for us to actually come back.”

Rob Worcester pitched five innings of solid relief to keep Maine within striking distance. Jared Cochran (1-2) pitched the 11th to pick up the win.

Jarvais, who also doubled, stroked an RBI single in the second inning and had a sacrifice fly in the third to finish with five RBIs. Croteau, the No. 9 hitter, had run-scoring singles in the third and fifth among his three hits.

Brandon Brewer thumped two doubles and a single and scored four runs. Fernandez and Sheedy had two hits each.

The Dragons, whose bats were stolen out of their bus Saturday night, showed no ill effects using UMaine’s aluminum. Jose Jimenez drove in five runs for Drexel with a three-run homer in the fourth, an RBI single in the sixth and an 11th-inning sac fly.

Dennis Helkowski rapped a double and two singles, while Dragons starter Bruce Boehm had a double and a single good for two RBIs.

Drexel controlled Sunday’s second game from the outset, scoring five runs in the first two innings against sore-armed Maine righthander Eric O’Brien (3-6).

Maine chipped away, closing to within 5-4 through five, but the Dragons touched up reliever Rick Hewey for four runs in the sixth.

Hewey retired the first nine men he faced, but hit a snag. Matt Neiber and Boehm each singled to left and Ryan Lucas reached on an infield hit to the shortstop hole.

Ted Grunenwald stroked an RBI single to right, then Renaldo Smith chased Hewey with a two-run double to right-center. Tom Morelli came on and threw a run-scoring wild pitch as Drexel made it 9-4.

The Bears threatened in the seventh, but fell short. Turner singled, Gabe Memmert doubled and Fernandez provided an RBI groundout. Reliever Kevin Fitzpatrick walked Brewer and Chris Domurat, then fanned Keith Croteau, before Joel Beaton came on and induced Brian Poire to hit into a game-ending fielder’s choice.

“Playing behind the whole day is hard on you,” Kostacopoulos said. “We’ve been hanging on by our fingernails the whole year. We didn’t kick it around the second game. There wasn’t much defense against those [Drexel hits].”

Smith and Lucas each rapped a double and a single for the Dragons. Helkowski added two hits.

Poire paced Maine with three singles, while Turner crushed a solo home run and a single and Sheedy two singles. Fernandez contributed a two-run, first-inning double for the hosts.

Bears 15, Dragons 14

(Sunday’s First Game, 11 inn.)

Drexel Maine

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Smith, lf-cf 5 1 1 2 Poire, 2b 5 0 0 0

Neiber, c 5 3 2 1 Sheedy, cf 4 0 2 2

Helkowski, ss 5 1 3 0 Bracali, dh 6 0 1 0

Marchetti, 1b 4 2 1 0 Memmert, 1b 6 0 0 0

Jimenez, rf 5 2 3 5 Turner, lf 4 3 1 1

Boehm, p-dh 5 2 2 2 Fernandez, 3b 4 3 2 0

Lucas, 3b 3 0 0 0 Brewer, rf 5 4 3 0

Link, cf 2 0 0 0 b-Harvie 0 0 0 0

Mellott, cf 2 2 2 1 Jarvais, c 4 3 3 5

Grnnwald, 2b 2 0 0 0 Croteau, ss 5 2 3 3

a-McPhillips 1 1 1 1

Trnbne, 2b 1 0 1 1

Totals 40 14 16 13 Totals 43 15 15 11

a-doubled for Grunenwald in 6th

b-reached on error for Brewer in 11th

Drexel 000 308 000 21 -14

Maine 033 020 300 22 -15

E – Helkowski 2, Marchetti, Tornabene; Poire, Jarvais 2B – Smith, Helkowski, Boehm, McPhillips; Fernandez, Brewer 2, Jarvais HR – Neiber (1), Jimenez (6); Turner (13), Jarvais (5) LOB – Drexel 4, Maine 9 DP – Poire-Croteau-Memmert, Croteau-Poire-Memmert SB – Mellott; Sheedy, Brewer S – Helkowski, Lucas, Tornabene; Poire, Harvie SF – Jimenez; Jarvais

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Drexel

Boehm 6 12 10 8 4 8

Metzger 3 2 3 2 0 2

Zwanch (L, 4-5) 1 1 2 0 4 0

Maine

Koutrouba 5 8 8 8 1 6

Worcester 5 7 5 4 2 4

Cochran (W, 1-2) 1 1 1 1 2 0

HBP – Marchetti by Koutrouba WP – Boehm, Zwanch 2; Cochran PB – Neiber BK – Boehm TIME – 3:38 ATTENDANCE – 262

Dragons 9, Black Bears 5

(Sunday’s Second Game)

Drexel (17-30) Maine (20-24)

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Smith, cf 5 1 2 2 Poire, 3b 5 1 3 0

Mellott, lf 2 2 1 0 Sheedy, cf 3 1 2 0

Helkowski, ss 3 1 2 1 Bracali, 2b 4 0 0 0

Marchetti, c 3 0 1 2 Turner, lf 4 2 2 1

Jimenez, rf 4 0 0 1 Memmert, 1b 3 0 1 0

Neiber, dh 3 1 1 1 Fernandez, dh 4 0 1 3

Boehm, 1b 3 1 1 0 Brewer, rf 3 0 0 0

Lucas, 3b 4 2 2 0 Jarvais, c 1 0 0 0

Grnnwald, 2b 4 1 1 1 Pantazis, c 1 0 0 0

a-Coombs 1 0 0 0

Domurat, c 0 0 0 0

b-Harvie 0 0 0 0

Croteau, ss 3 1 1 0

Totals 31 9 11 8 Totals 32 5 10 4

a-grounded out for Pantazis in 6th

b-ran for Domurat in 7th

Drexel 320 004 0 – 9

Maine 200 110 1 – 5

E – Helkowski, Marchetti 2B – Smtih, Lucas; Memmert, Croteau HR – Turner (14) LOB – Drexel 7, Maine 11 SB – Boehm SF – Neiber

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Drexel

Sheehan (W, 2-2) 5 6 4 3 3 1

Fitzpatrick 1 1/3 4 1 1 2 1

Beaton 2/3 0 0 0 0 0

Maine

O’Brien (L, 3-6) 2 6 5 5 2 0

Hewey 3 5 4 4 0 3

Morelli 2 0 0 0 3 3

WP – O’Brien, Morelli TIME – 2:28 ATTENDANCE – 262