ORONO – Though winter refuses to release its grip on eastern Maine, the University of Maine baseball team continues to search for improvement and consistency as it moves into the final three weekends of America East play.

The 26-12 Black Bears took three of four from Albany over the weekend at Mahaney Diamond, improving to 8-4. They remain one game behind Vermont (7-3) in the league standings.

The 20-13 Catamounts were scheduled to make up Sunday’s snowed-out doubleheader against Binghamton today.

Handcuffed by cold and wind the past two weeks, UMaine’s bats have cooled off considerably. However, the pitching appears to be settling into a better rhythm.

Sophomore righthanders Mike Collar of Scarborough and Mike MacDonald of Camden continue to set the tone for the staff.

Collar is 5-2 with a team-leading 3.57 earned run average. His 43 strikeouts and eight walks also are tops on the squad.

MacDonald (4-2, 4.60) has won two of his last three starts, giving up only three earned runs and 13 hits in his last 23 innings (1.17 ERA).

Meanwhile, junior lefthander Rich Laganiere (5-3, 6.37) has settled into a better groove. He is 3-1 in his last four starts.

“It’s good to see Rich do that because now we’ve got a third guy,” said UMaine coach Paul Kostacopoulos. “He’s been pretty good for us [lately]. He’ll start getting some confidence there.”

The fourth spot in the starting rotation has been held down by freshman Paul Bruder (3-1, 5.55), but he missed the Albany series with a sprained ankle. Classmate Scott Robinson (3-0, 4.15) has the potential to contend for that spot or he can be valuable in relief.

Adam Labelle (3-2, 6.43), Ryan Harris (2-1, 5.12) and Greg Creek (1-1, 7.17) make up the bulk of the rest of the staff.

Picard back behind the dish

Among the bright spots for the Bears over the weekend was Alain Picard’s return as the starting catcher.

Picard, a junior who has been UMaine’s hitting catalyst all season, has been relegated to designated hitter duties much of the season because of injuries.

He missed five games during the southern trip with a pulled hamstring, then was unable to play behind the plate for 13 games after injuring his throwing shoulder while lifting weights.

Picard’s presence on the field is noticed by his coach and teammates.

“It’s a huge plus to have Alain Picard back behind the plate,” Laganiere said. “He handles the pitchers well. He’s just great behind there. I was glad to have him back; [he’s] a big help.”

Picard continues to lead the Bears with a .400 batting average, including five home runs and 41 RBIs. He has nine stolen bases.

Being able to play him at catcher opens up other possibilities for Kostacopoulos and the Bears. If he’s behind the plate, UMaine can choose among a couple of other DH candidates and also can rotate in other players.

Aaron Young was among the beneficiaries against Albany. The speedy junior made four starts in right field providing four hits, two stolen bases, a couple of sacrifice bunts and outstanding defense in the series.

“That’s how important it is for Alain to play, because we’re better at two and three different positions,” Kostacopoulos said.

Maine men, women on track

The Maine men established two school records at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia Friday.

The 800-meter relay team finished with a time of one minute, 29.19 seconds to beat the 1997 mark of 1:29.45. Maine’s distance medley team clocked a time of 9:59.91 in a prelim race to beat the old school mark of 10:07.94 (set in 2000).

The Maine women’s 800 relay team also set a school record with a time of 1:44.95, almost two seconds better than the 2000 mark of 1:46.89. Also Friday, Vlka Rybalko won the Eastern long jump with a mark of 20 feet, .5 inches.