Black Bears fail to stop Tigers’ weekend sweep

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ORONO – The University of Maine baseball team was reminded last weekend that the little things mean a lot.

The Black Bears were unable to execute in key situations, enabling Towson University (Md.) to earn a sweep of their four-game America East series at Mahaney Diamond.

The Tigers rallied for three runs in the seventh inning to win Sunday’s second game 3-1 after having posted a 10-7 victory in the opener.

Towson swept Saturday’s doubleheader, scoring three times with two outs in the seventh to win the first game 9-8 and taking the nightcap 9-1.

Coach Paul Kostacopoulos’ Bears slipped to 17-18 overall, 5-7 in league play. Towson improved to 17-11 and 9-3, respectively.

“I think we could have won two games this weekend,” Kostacopoulos said of his young squad. “We did not get the job done. We haven’t been mature enough to recognize critical points in the game.”

Case in point: Sunday’s second game. Freshman lefthander Rusty Tucker (4-4) limited Towson to two hits through six innings, but Maine managed only one run behind him.

Nick Agoglia ignited the Tigers’ seventh-inning rally with a leadoff single and moved up on Dusty Reynolds’ sacrifice bunt. Tucker walked Jason Rummel and Mike Dubansky, his only walks of the game, to load the bases.

“We were going to stay with [Tucker], because he was striking guys out,” Kostacopoulos said. “It was hard not to go after people because nobody got any hits off him.”

The tying run scored on a passed ball charged to Marc Pantazis, then Scott Bacon plated the eventual game-winner with a sacrifice fly. Pinch hitter Ryan Avila plated an insurance run with a bunt single down the third-base line.

Maine scratched out five hits in six innings against Towson lefthander Chris Russ, but didn’t come through in the clutch.

“We left a lot of people on base this weekend,” said Maine senior Kregg Jarvais. “This last game, we could have put a team away. We had people in scoring position and didn’t drive them in.”

Maine had taken a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Brett Ouellette singled, stole second, and advanced on a fielder’s choice play at third. He scored when third baseman Tim Pritchard threw low to the plate on a Pantazis chopper.

In Sunday’s first game, Towson roughed up Bears starter Rob Worcester (3-3) for 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings and Maine committed five errors, including three in TU’s three-run third inning.

Dubansky’s two-run single in the fifth and RBI singles by Agoglia and Rummel were among the key blows for the Tigers. Jason Sandner singled three times and scored three runs.

Brandon Brewer cranked a two-run homer and a double to pace the Bears. Mike Ross and Quin Peel added RBI singles.

On Saturday, the Bears were within one strike of winning the opener, only to wind up losing both ends of the twinbill.

In the first game, Towson rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh off closer Tom Morelli (1-1), who struck out the first two batters. Shortstop Peel opened the door when he failed to handle a grounder toward the middle by pinch hitter Jimmy Kittelberger.

Morelli then walked Agoglia on a 3-2 pitch. Reynolds followed, belting a 1-0 fastball over the left-field fence to give Towson a 9-8 lead. Tigers reliever Casey Theberge (3-2) struck out the side in the seventh to earn the win.

“We get two outs in the ninth inning and we can’t finish that third out. That’s discouraging, obviously,” Kostacopoulos said.

The Bears came through with clutch hits in the first game, including two-out RBI singles in the first inning by Jon Hambelton and Peel. In the fourth, Keith Genest had an RBI single and Brian Poire drilled a two-run triple.

Trailing 6-3, the Tigers rallied to tie the game in the fifth inning against reliever Eric O’Brien. Scott Bacon was hit by a pitch and advanced on Dan Rhodes’ double.

Bacon scored on a Greg Davies groundout, then Jason Sandner roped a two-run homer over the 375-foot sign in right-center.

Peel paced Maine with three singles, while Poire added a single. Reynolds had three hits, including a two-run single in the fourth.

In Saturday’s second game, Maine fell victim to an efficient, two-hit performance by Towson righthander Bryan Simmering. The crafty freshman used an effective slider and good fastball to keep the Bears guessing.

“I don’t think it was [a lack of] enthusiasm, I just think [Simmering] pitched well,” said Kostacopoulos, who didn’t sense his team had suffered an emotional letdown after the first game.

Peel ruined Simmering’s bid for a perfect game when he launched a home run with one out in the fifth. Maine’s only other hit was a Poire single in the sixth.

The Tigers got to Bears sophomore Kris Ehmke (3-3) in the second inning on Agoglia’s two-run single. Sandner’s run-scoring double in the fourth and a solo homer in the fifth by Bacon provided Simmering with ample support, but Towson piled on five runs in the ninth against Jon Dickinson.

Bacon provided an RBI single and Davies stroked a two-run double to push three of the runs across.

Tigers 9, Black Bears 8

(Saturday’s First Game)

Towson Maine men

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Agoglia, lf 3 1 1 0 Poire, 3b 4 2 2 2

Reynolds, c 5 1 3 5 Bracali, 2b 2 1 1 1

Rummel, 2b 4 0 1 0 Ross, lf 2 0 0 1

Dubansky, rf 4 0 0 0 Hambelton, 1b 3 1 1 1

Bacon, ss 3 2 2 0 Peel, ss 4 0 3 2

Rhodes, dh 4 2 2 0 Ouellette, cf 3 1 1 0

Davies, 1b 3 0 0 2 Brewer, rf 3 1 1 0

Sandner, cf 4 2 3 2 Tucker, rf 1 0 0 0

Pritchard, 3b 3 0 0 0 Jarvais, c 2 0 0 0

Kittelberger, 3b 1 1 0 0 a-Harvie 0 1 0 0

Pantazis, c 0 0 0 0

b-Domurat 1 0 0 0

Genest, dh 4 1 1 1

Totals 34 9 12 9 Totals 29 8 10 8

a-walked for Jarvais in the eighth

b-struck out for Pantazis in the ninth

Towson 000 330 3 – 9

Maine 200 402 0 – 8

E – Dubansky 2; Bracali, Peel 2B – Agoglia, Rhodes 2 3B – Poire HR – Reynolds (1), Sandner (1) LOB – Towson 9, Maine 7 DP – Bacon to Davies SB – Sandner (3); Hambelton (3), Peel (2) SF – Davies; Bracali

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Towson

Buck 5 1/3 9 8 7 4 4

Theberge (W,3-2) 1 2/3 1 0 0 1 5

Maine

Bailin 3 2/3 7 3 3 2 1

O’Brien 1 1/3 4 3 3 0 1

Morelli (L,1-1) 2 1 3 0 1 2

HBP – Ross by Buck, Bacon by O’Brien WP – Buck TIME – 2:30

Tigers 9, Black Bears 1

(Saturday’s Second Game)

Towson (15-11) Maine (17-16)

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Agoglia, lf 5 0 2 2 Poire, 3b 3 0 1 0

Sandner, cf 3 0 1 1 Bracali, 2b 3 0 0 0

Rummel, 2b 3 1 1 0 Ross, lf 2 0 0 0

Dubansky, rf 3 1 0 0 Hambelton, 1b 3 0 0 0

Bacon, ss 4 3 3 2 Peel, ss 3 1 1 1

Rhodes, dh 2 2 0 0 Ouellette, cf 2 0 0 0

Reynolds, c 3 1 0 1 Brewer, rf 2 0 0 0

Davies, 1b 4 0 1 2 Jarvais, c 2 0 0 0

Pritchard, 3b 2 1 1 1 Harvie, dh 2 0 0 0

Totals 29 9 9 9 Totals 22 1 2 1

Towson 020 110 5 – 9

Maine 000 010 0 – 1

2B – Sandner, Rummel, Bacon, Davies HR – Bacon (2); Peel (4) LOB – Towson 7, Maine 1 DP – Bacon to Rummel to Davies; Peel to Bracali to Hambelton SB – Sandner (4), Rummel (4)

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Towson

Simmering (W,2-1) 7 2 1 1 1 3

Maine

Ehmke (L,3-3) 5 6 4 4 4 4

Dickinson 1 1/3 3 5 5 3 0

Hewey 2/3 0 0 0 0 0

HBP – Dubansky by Dickinson TIME – 2:00 ATTENDANCE – 283

Tigers 10, Black Bears 7

(Sunday’s First Game)

Towson Maine

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Agoglia, lf 5 1 2 1 Poire, 3b 1 2 0 1

Sandoor, cf 5 3 3 0 Bracali, 2b 1 1 1 0

Rummel, 2b 5 0 2 1 Ross, lf 4 0 1 1

Dubansky, rf 4 1 2 3 Hambelton, 1b 2 0 1 1

Bacon, ss 3 1 0 0 Peel, ss 3 0 1 2

Rhodes, dh 3 1 1 0 Ouellette, cf 2 1 0 0

Reynolds, c 2 1 1 1 Brewer, rf 4 2 2 2

Davies, 1b 4 1 1 0 Jarvais, c 2 0 0 0

Pritchard, 3b 3 1 0 2 Pantazis, c 0 0 0 0

a-Harvie 1 0 0 0

Domurat, c 1 0 0 0

Genest, dh 2 1 1 0

Totals 34 10 12 8 Totals 23 7 7 7

a-grounded out for Pantazis in the sixth

Towson 223 120 0 – 10

Maine 120 013 0 – 7

E – Bracali 2, Peel, Ouellette, Jarvais 2B – Reynolds; Brewer HR – Brewer (5) LOB – Towson 8, Maine 7 DP – Rummel to Bacon to Davies (2); Bracali to Hambelton S – Bracali SF – Poire

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Towson

McGonigal (W,3-1) 4 2/3 3 4 4 6 1

Rogers 1 1/3 4 3 3 2 1

Theberge 1 0 0 0 0 0

Maine

Worcester (L,3-3) 4 2/3 12 10 8 4 1

Hewey 2 1/3 0 0 0 0 0

HBP – Bracali by McGoniagl, Reynolds by Worcester, Ouellette by McGonigal WP – Worcester PB – Jarvais TIME – 2:26

Tigers 3, Black Bears 1

(Sunday’s Second Game)

Towson (17-11) Maine (17-18)

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Agoglia, lf 3 1 2 0 Poire, 3b 4 0 1 0

Reynolds, c 2 0 0 0 Bracali, 2b 3 0 1 0

Rummel, 2b 2 1 0 0 Ross, lf 4 0 1 0

Dubansky, rf 2 1 0 0 Peel, dh 3 0 0 0

Bacon, ss 2 0 0 1 Ouellette, cf 3 1 1 0

Rhodes, dh 2 0 0 0 Hambelton, 1b 3 0 0 0

a-Avila 1 0 1 1 Brewer, rf 3 0 0 0

Sandner, cf 3 0 1 0 Pantazis, c 3 0 1 0

Davies, 1b 2 0 0 0 Harvie, ss 3 0 0 0

Pritchard, 3b 1 0 0 0

Kittelberger, 3b 1 0 0 0

Totals 21 3 4 2 Totals 29 1 5 0

a-singled (bunt) for Rhodes in the seventh

Towson 000 000 3 – 3

Maine 000 100 0 – 1

E – Pritchard, Kittelberger LOB – Towson 1, Maine 8 DP – Bracali to Hambelton SB – Ouellette (5) SF – Reynolds, Bacon

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Towson

Russ (W,2-2) 6 5 1 0 1 8

Feuerherd (S,1) 1 0 0 0 0 0

Maine

Tucker (L,4-4) 7 4 3 3 2 5

WP – Tucker PB – Pantazis TIME – 2:58 ATTENDANCE – 158