ORONO – Mike MacDonald’s spot in the University of Maine weekend rotation was in jeopardy heading into Sunday’s America East baseball doubleheader against Towson (Md.).

The promising freshman from Camden, who had failed to get past the fourth inning in his previous three league starts, solidified his spot Sunday. scattering six hits in the second game as the Black Bears earned a 3-2 victory while taking three of four weekend games from the Tigers at Mahaney Diamond.

UMaine won Sunday’s first game 7-5 after having split a Saturday twinbill, winning the opener 4-1 and dropping the nightcap 8-6.

Coach Paul Kostacopoulos’ 25-10 Bears move into second place in America East at 10-6.

“It was a great win for us,” MacDonald said. “We’ve got confidence working for us going into next weekend against Hofstra.”

MacDonald retired 11 of the last 13 batters, recording the final two outs in the seventh inning with the potential tying run at second base.

“He had a little shaky start, but he overcame it and did a great job,” Kostacopoulos said.

“He did have to pitch well, and he did,” he added. “That just proves to me he can go pitch next week against Hofstra and build on this performance.”

MacDonald struck out five and walked one, helping UMaine hold a one-run lead the last three innings.

“I think it’s just me trying to get relaxed, fit in,” MacDonald said of his recent struggles. “The guys have been great with me. They’ve been helping me along, trying to keep my confidence up.”

The Bears scored the go-ahead run in the fourth off Jason Summerlin (3-1). Jon Hambelton led off with a single to left, moved to third on Quin Peel’s single, and scored when Matt Reynolds grounded into a double play.

Pat Tobin had given UMaine a 2-1 lead with a line-drive, two-run home run to right in the second.

Greg Davies singled twice for Towson (24-14, 8-8), stroking an RBI hit in the first inning.

In Sunday’s opener, Hambelton’s three-run homer during a six-run second inning was the difference as the Bears held on to win.

“It was] a changeup, inside,” Hambelton said. “The kid left it in there and I took advantage of that.”

Towson twice got the potential tying run to the plate in the seventh, but reliever Adam Labelle induced a double-play grounder and Matt Truman came on after a two-out error to get the final out.

Freshman Mike Collar of Scarborough (5-0) battled through 5? innings of seven-hit ball for the win. Hambelton paced UMaine with an RBI groundout in the first, a majestic three-run homer in the second and a single in the fifth.

Mike Livulpi rapped a two-run double in the second off Nein (4-1). Davies hit a double, single and solo homer to pace Towson.

In Saturday’s opener, ace lefthander Rusty Tucker (5-1) pitched a four-hitter, outdueling Towson’s Bryan Simmering (4-3).

Tucker spotted his fastball well and mixed in a nasty changeup.

“I actually didn’t have my great stuff today, but I was still able to compete and get some hitters out,” Tucker said. “I just had to locate my fastball and locate my changeup down.”

Simmering allowed four hits, but three of those came during the Bears’ three-run sixth inning. Mark Reichley singled up the middle and moved up on Livulpi’s sacrifice bunt and a one-out walk to Drapeau. Jesse Carlton followed with a line RBI single to center and the runners advanced when Joey Marcozzi overran the ball.

“That was a huge hit by Jesse,” Tucker said.

Peel grounded a clutch, two-run single to left to make it 4-1.

In Saturday’s second game, Greg Davies roped a two-out, two-run homer to right off Simon Stoner (4-2) as the Tigers prevailed.

Brian McKenna hit a three-run homer in Towson’s six-run second.

The Bears stranded 11 runners, four of them at third, going 5-for-21 with runners in scoring position.

“It boils down to … not getting guys in from third base and having the right guys up,” Kostacopoulos said.

“We had chances all through the game. We played well enough to win; we just needed a clutch hit here and there,” said Peel, who returned to the lineup after missing nine games with a broken index finger on his right hand.

Livulpi went 5-for-5 with three doubles to lead the Bears, while Peel had a double and two singles. Alain Picard had a two-run single.

Black Bears 4, Tigers 1

(Saturday?s First Game)

Towson Maine

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Avila, rf 3 0 1 0 Livulpi, cf 2 0 0

McKenna, ss 3 0 0 0 Young, rf 2 1 0

Davies, 1b-cf 2 0 0 1 Drapeau, 3b 2 1 0

Bacon, 3b 3 0 0 0 Hambelton, 1b 2 0 0

Kittelberger,lf 3 0 2 0 Carlton,1b 1 1 1

Stidham, c 3 0 0 0 Peel, 2b 3 0 2

Costello, 1b 1 0 0 0 Picard, dh 3 0 0

Marcozzi, cf 1 0 0 0 Ross, lf 2 0 0

Paduano, dh 2 0 0 0 Tobin, c 2 0 0

Trela, 2b 2 1 1 0 Reichley, ss 2 1 0

Totals 23 1 4 1 Totals 21 4 4 3

Towson 000 001 0 ? 1

Maine 100 003 x ? 4

E?Marcozzi; Young; LOB?Towson 3; Maine 2; 2B?Kittelberger; DP?Drapeau-Peel-Carlton; S?Livulpi; SF?Davies

Towson IP H R ER BB SO

Simmering (L,4-3) 6 4 4 3 1 9

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Tucker (W,5-1) 7 4 1 0 1 5

HBP?Young by Simmering; WP?Simmering; Tucker; T?1:28

Tigers 8, Black Bears 6

(Saturday?s Second Game)

Towson (24-12) Maine (23-10)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Avila, c-rf 4 1 1 1 Livulpi, cf 5 2 0

McKenna, ss 2 2 1 3 Young, rf 3 1 1

Davies, 1b-cf 4 1 1 2 Drapeau, 3b 3 1 2

Bacon, 3b 4 1 2 0 Hambelton, 1b 3 1 0

Kittelberger, lf 2 1 0 0 Peel, 2b-wss 4 1

Costello, 1b 1 0 1 0 Picard, dh 2 0 2

Walter, p 0 0 0 0 Reynolds, dh-2b 1 0 0

Stidham, dh-c 3 0 0 0 Williams, lf 4 0 0

Lester, rf-lf 3 0 0 0 Tobin, c 4 0 0

Marcozzi, cf-lf 3 1 1 2 Reichley, ss 2 0 0

Trela, 2b 3 1 1 0 a-Genest 1 1 0

Stoner, p 0 0 0 0

b-Ross 1 0 0 0

Truman, p 0 0 0 0

Totals 29 8 8 8 Totals 33 6 13 6

a?walked for Reichley in the sixth; b?struck out for Truman in the seventh

Towson 060 000 2 ? 8

Maine 400 002 0 ? 6

E?Avila 2, McKenna; Reichley; LOB?Towson 4; Maine 11; 2B?Livulpi 3, Peel; HR?McKenna (3), Davies (8); DP?Bacon-Trela-Davies; S?Young; SF?Drapeau

Towson IP H R ER BB SO

Rogers 4? 8 4 3 3 4

Walter (W,1-1) 2? 5 2 1 0 3

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Stoner (L,4-2) 6? 7 8 8 4 4

Truman ? 1 0 0 0 0

WP?Rogers 2; T?2:13; ATT?373

Black Bears 7, Tigers 5

(Sunday?s First Game)

Towson Maine

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Avila, cf 4 0 0 1 Livulpi, cf 3 1 2

McKenna, ss 3 0 1 0 Williams, lf 3 2 1

Davies, 1b 4 1 3 1 Ross, lf 0 0 0

Bacon, 3b 4 0 0 0 Drapeau, c 3 0 0

Kittelberger, dh 4 1 1 0 Hambelton, 1b 3 4

Stidham, c 3 0 0 0 Tobin, 1b 0 0 0

Lester, rf 2 1 1 0 Peel, 2b 3 0 0

Marcozzi, lf 2 1 2 1 Tucker, dh 2 1 0

Trela, 2b 2 1 0 1 Reynolds, 3b 3 0 0

Young, rf 3 1 1 0

Reichley, ss 2 1 1 0

Totals 28 5 8 4 Totals 25 7 7 7

Towson 002 012 0 ? 5

Maine 160 000 x ? 7

E?Reichley, Labelle; LOB?Towson 6, Maine 1; 2B?Davies, Marcozzi, Lester; Livulpi, Drapeau HR?Davies (9); Hambelton (10); DP?McKenna-Trela-Davies; Collar-Reynolds, Reynolds-Peel-Hambelton, Peel-Reichley-Tobin; SB?Kittelberger (3); Williams (8)

Towson IP H R ER BB SO

Nein (L,4-1) 6 7 7 7 1 3

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Collar (W,5-0) 5? 7 5 5 3 5

Labelle 1? 1 0 0 1 0

Truman (S,3) ? 0 0 0 0 0

WP?Collar 2; T?1:52

Black Bears 3, Tigers 2

(Sunday?s Second Game)

Towson (24-14) Maine (25-10)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Avila, cf 3 1 1 0 Livulpi, cf 3 0 0

McKenna, ss 3 0 0 0 Young, rf 3 0 0

Davies, 1b 3 0 2 1 Drapeau, c 3 0 0

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

Kittelberger, dh 3 1 1 0 Peel, 2b 2 0

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

Lester, rf 3 0 1 1 Tobin, 1b 2 1 2

Marcozzi, lf 3 0 0 0 Genest, lf 2 0 0

Schoonhoven, 2b 3 0 0 0 Reichley, ss 2 0 0

Totals 25 2 6 2 Totals 22 3 5 2

Towson 100 100 0 ? 2

Maine 020 100 x ? 3

E?Drapeau,Peel; LOB?Towson 4; Maine 1; 2B?Stidham, Kittelberger; HR?Tobin (1); DP?Schoonhoven-McKenna-Davies; S?Stidham; SB?Avila (5), Davies (3)

Towson IP H R ER BB SO

Summerlin (L,3-1) 6 5 3 3 0 2

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

MacDonald (W,3-1) 7 6 2 2 1 5

PB?Drapeau; T?1:25; ATT?321