ORONO – Mike Collar has been a model of consistency and success for the University of Maine baseball team this season. With his team in need of a win, he remained true to form Friday night.

The junior righthander from Scarborough scattered seven hits as the Black Bears salvaged a split of their America East doubleheader with an 8-2 victory over Northeastern at Mahaney Diamond. The Huskies won the opener 6-4 in eight innings, ending a nine-game losing streak to UMaine.

After the Bears suffered their fourth loss in five games, Collar made sure UMaine (20-10 overall, 4-2 AE) bounced back. The teams play another doubleheader today at 1 p.m.

“That was a huge performance by Mike,” said UMaine coach Paul Kostacopoulos. “Mike set the tone in the first inning. He had awesome stuff the first inning and sent the message that I’m gonna be pretty tough tonight.”

Collar (5-2) was in command, overcoming the chilly conditions to utilize a speedy fastball, a sharp slider and a tantalizing changeup. The righthander struck out 10 and did not walk a batter, extending his league-high strikeout total to 60.

“He’s such a dominant pitcher when he is able to use all three pitches and spot them as well as he does,” said UMaine catcher Aaron Izaryk. “When he does go out and set the tone, it’s a positive for us.”

Izaryk led UMaine in the second game with three singles and three RBIs, while Brett Ouellette doubled twice with two RBIs. The Bears played errorless defense, while Northeastern (7-13, 2-4 AE) committed four.

“We played harder tonight than we’ve probably played in the last couple weeks. I thought we played more intense and that’s a good sign,” Kostacopoulos said.

The Bears staked Collar to a 3-0 lead with the aid of two NU errors. Mike Livulpi singled, Ouellette stroked an RBI double and Izaryk ripped an RBI single to right-center. Alain Picard provided a sacrifice fly one out later.

The cushion was enough for Collar, who allowed single runs in the second and fifth innings but refused to let the Huskies bunch any hits.

“I think it’s just a rhythm thing,” said Collar, who remained in the locker room during the first game to stay warm. “The guy puts the ball in play, we get him out, and I get the ball back fairly quickly and throw it again.”

NU scored in the second on Tim Bush’s leadoff double, Jeff Heriot’s single and a passed ball. UMaine tallied an unearned run without benefit of a hit in the third, but the Huskies cut the deficit to 4-2 with a run in the fifth on Brad Czarnowski’s RBI single.

Chris Emanuele had a superb twinbill for NU, logging two doubles and a single in the nightcap after providing two clutch hits and three RBIs in the opener.

The Bears added an run in the fifth on a fielder’s choice by Picard, then tacked on three in the sixth on Ouellette’s RBI double and Izaryk’s two-run infield single.

In the opener, Emanuele’s two-run double in the eighth spoiled a gritty comeback by the Bears. The Huskies scored twice in the last three innings and held on behind the relief pitching of third baseman Bush (1-1), who didn’t allow a hit in 1 2/3 innings.

NU starter Devin Monds surrendered Joe Drapeau’s solo home run, his sixth of the season, in the fifth before the Bears chased him with three runs in the seventh. Drapeau also singled.

The Huskies scored twice in the eighth off junior Mike MacDonald of Camden (4-3) on Emmanuele’s two-run double. The Bears had two baserunners in the eighth after two were out, but Livulpi grounded to first for the final out.

NU had taken a 4-1 lead with two runs in the seventh on Emanuele’s infield single and an Arman Sidhu pop single behind first base.

UMaine answered with three runs on a pinch-hit RBI single by Pat Tobin and a two-run error by first basemen Paul Koslowski.

The Bears seized the momentum in the fifth when Drapeau homered. NU countered in the sixth when MacDonald sandwiched walks to Czarnowski and Koslowski around a hit batsman (Sidhu). Bush put the Huskies ahead with a two-out, two-run single to left field.

HUSKIES 6, BLACK BEARS 4

(First Game, 8 innings)

Northeastern (7-12) Maine (19-10)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Czarnowski, lf 2 1 0 0 Livulpi, cf 5 0

Sidhu, 2b 4 1 1 1 Williams, rf-lf 4 0 0

Pena, ss 5 0 0 0 Picard, dh 4 0 0

Koslowski, 1b 3 0 0 0 Izaryk, c 2 0

Bush, 3b-p 4 0 1 2 Ouellette, 2b 4 0 0

Heriot, cf 4 1 2 0 Quintal, lf 2 0 0

Maher, dh 1 0 0 0 Young, rf 2 1 0

Paquette, dh 2 0 1 0 Drapeau, 3b 4 2 1

a-Steinberg 0 1 0 0 Carlton, 1b 2 0 0

Morizio, c 3 0 1 0 b-Creek 0 0 0 0

Emanuele, rf 3 1 2 3 c-Saunders 0 1 0

Nutting, 3b 1 1 1 0 Reichley, ss 0 0 0

Gambale, ss 2 0 1 0

Tobin, 1b 2 0 1 1

Totals 32 6 9 6 Totals 33 4 6 2

a-ran for Paquette in 7th, b-walked for Carlton in 7th, c-ran for Creek in 7th

Northeastern 000 002 22 ? 6

Maine 000 010 30 ? 4

E?Pena (6), Koslowski 2 (3); Ouellette (7), MacDonald (1); LOB?Northeastern 9, Maine 9; 2B?Emanuele; HR?Drapeau (6); SB?Emanuele (4)

Northeastern IP H R ER BB SO

Monds 6 6 4 2 2 5

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

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

MacDonald (L, 4-3) 7 1/3 9 6 6 4 7

Labelle 2/3 0 0 0 1 1

HBP?Czarnowski by MacDonald, Sidhu by MacDonald; WP?MacDonald; PB?Morizio; T?2:52

BLACK BEARS 8, HUSKIES 2

(Second Game)

Northeaster (7-13) Maine (20-10)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Czarnowski, lf 4 0 1 1 Livulpi, cf 4 0

Sidhu, 2b-ss 3 0 0 0 Ouellette, 2b 3 3 2

Koslowski, 1b 3 0 0 0 Izaryk, c 3 3

Bush, 3b 3 1 2 0 Drapeau, 3b 4 0 0

Heriot, cf 3 0 1 0 Picard, dh 2 0 2

Paquette, dh 3 0 0 0 Young, rf 3 0 0

Pena, ss 2 0 0 0 Tobin, 1b 3 0 0

Maher, 2b 1 0 0 0 a-Saunders 0 1 0

Morizio, c 3 0 0 0 Carlton, 1b 0 0 0

Emanuele, rf 3 1 3 0 Williams, lf 2 0 0

Gambale, ss 3 1 1 0

Totals 28 2 7 1 Totals 27 8 9 7

a-ran for Tobin in 6th

Northeastern 010 010 0 ? 2

Maine 301 013 x ? 8

E?Koslowski 2, Emanuele, Thomson; LOB?Northeastern 5, Maine 5; 2B?Emanuele 2, Bush; Oullette 2; S?Williams; SF?Picard; SB?Livulpi 2

Northeastern IP H R ER BB SO

Thomson (L, 1-4) 6 9 8 6 2 7

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Collar (W, 5-2) 7 7 2 1 0 10

PB?Izaryk; T?2:07; ATT?245