Creek gets it done for Maine Sophomore gets key hit, then pitches Black Bears to sweep

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ORONO – Two minutes prior to the first game of Saturday’s America East doubleheader, Greg Creek found out he was starting at first base. He never imagined he would be instrumental in helping the University of Maine earn a sweep of Northeastern at sunny Mahaney Diamond.

Creek, a sophomore from Chelsea, delivered the game-winning RBI single in the seventh inning of a 4-3 win in the opener, then pitched a four-hitter as the Black Bears cruised to a 15-1 victory in the second game.

“We got a hard-fought win in the first game and then we finally really hit the ball [in Game 2]. That was a glimpse of what I know we’re capable of,” said UMaine coach Paul Kostacopoulos.

UMaine (22-10, 6-2 AE) took three of four from the Huskies. Creek was thrilled to help out.

“It’s the best day I’ve had here at Orono,” Creek said. “That doesn’t happen too often, a game-winning hit and a [pitching] win right after.”

Creek might well have been a “goat” in the opener after striking out with the bases loaded in the first inning and grounding out with runners at second and third in the fourth.

But after Joe Drapeau’s leadoff single and an intentional walk to Alain Picard, Creek was in position to at least move the runners along with a sacrifice bunt in the pivotal seventh.

“[Coach] knows I can’t bunt,” laughed Creek, who instead punched a hanging Justin Hedrick curveball into left field to scored the winning run. “I had three opportunities in that game to drive runners in and I knew I really had to come through at that point,” Creek said.

Creek’s heroics clinched a win for Greg Norton of South Portland (4-1). The freshman righthander overcame poor pitch location during the Huskies’ three-run third inning to scatter six hits, striking out four and walking one.

With the game tied 3-3, Northeastern (7-14, 2-6 AE) threatened in the sixth when Norton hit Jeff Heriot and Chris Emanuele bunted his way on. One out later, he induced an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.

“I was leaving the ball up [in the strike zone] and they were hitting it,” Norton said of the shaky third inning. “I felt really good after that and it was a nice day, too. That helps.”

The Bears took a 3-0 lead in the second off Hedrick (3-1), who loaded the bases with two walks and a hit batsman. Aaron Izaryk cashed in with a three-run double to left-center.

NU tied it in the third on RBI singles by Brad Czarnowski and Arman Sidhu and Tim Bush’s run-scoring groundout.

Drapeau, a senior from Biddeford, paced UMaine with three singles in Game 1, helping the hosts establish a good offensive mindset for the afternoon. He banged out a double and a single in the nightcap, during which the Bears used a seven-run first inning to set the tone.

“He was the catalyst,” Kostacopoulos said. “He made them pitch to him; he got singles; he extended innings; he started off innings. He was a leader this weekend.”

Brett Ouellette and Picard drilled two-run homers among UMaine’s seven extra-base hits in the first inning against loser Brendan Ryan (0-3). Mike Livulpi doubled twice in the inning, one a two-run shot to right-center, on his way to a 4-for-5 effort that also included a triple and an RBI single.

The early support was plenty for Creek, a 6-foot-3, 225-pounder out of Maranacook High in Readfield. He fanned four and walked one in pitching his first career complete game.

Creek (4-0) was trotting off the field after his game-winning hit when he found out he was the Game 2 starter. He took a few bites out of a sandwich on his way to the bullpen.

“That shows the kind of athlete he is, to come out here and play first base the whole [first game] and play as hard as he can, and then still have enough stamina to pitch a four-hitter,” Drapeau said. “We needed somebody to step up like that and he was incredible.”

Aaron Young doubled, singled twice and knocked in four runs in Game 2, while Ouellette plated four runs with his homer and two sacrifice flies. Picard homered and singled.

Heriot hit a solo homer in the fifth for the Huskies.

BLACK BEARS 4, HUSKIES 3

(Saturday’s First Game)

Northeastern Maine

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

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

Sidhu, 2b 3 1 1 1 Ouellette, 2b 3 1 0

Koslowski, 1b 4 0 1 0 Izaryk, c 4 3

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

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

Emanuele, rf 3 0 2 0 Creek, 1b 4 0 1

Paquette, dh 3 0 0 0 Quintal, lf 2 0 0

Morizio, c 3 0 0 0 Gambale, ss 1 1 0

Pena, ss 2 1 1 0 Young, rf 1 1 0

Totals 26 3 6 3 Totals 25 4 7 4

Northeastern 003 000 0 ? 3

Maine 030 000 1 ? 4

E?Bush (4); Norton (1); LOB?NU 6; Maine 11; 2B?Pena; Izaryk; DP?Ouellette-Gambale-Carlton; SB?Emanuele (5)

Northeastern IP H R ER BB SO

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

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Norton (W,4-1) 7 6 3 3 1 4

HBP?Heriot 2, Sidhu by Norton; Ouellette, Gambale by Hedrick; WP?Hedrick; Norton; T?2:17

BLACK BEARS 15, HUSKIES 1

(Saturday’s Second Game)

Northeastern (7-15) Maine (22-10)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Czarnowski, lf-rf 2 0 0 0 Livulpi, cf 5 3

Emanuele, rf-cf 3 0 0 0 Ouellette, 2b 1 4

Koslowski, 1b 3 0 0 0 Izaryk, c 5 0

Bush, 3b 2 0 0 0 Drapeau, 3b 3 2 0

Nutting, 3b 1 0 1 0 Picard, dh 4 2 2

Paquette, dh 3 0 0 0 Carlton, 1b 2 2 1

Heriot, cf-c 3 1 2 1 Williams, lf 2 1 0

Pena, ss 1 0 0 0 Saunders, lf 1 1 0

Maher, 2b 2 0 1 0 Gambale, ss 3 1 1

Morizio, c 1 0 0 0 Reichley, ss 0 1 0

Steinberg, lf 2 0 0 0 Young, rf 4 4

Sidhu, 2b-ss 1 0 0 0

Totals 24 1 4 1 Totals 30 15 15 15

Northeastern 000 010 0 ? 1

Maine 720 402 x ? 15

E?Bush (4); LOB?NU 4; Maine 6; 2B?Livulpi 2, Drapeau, Carlton, Young; 3B?Heriot; Livulpi; HR?Heriot (2); Ouellette (6), Picard (3), Young (2); DP?Carlton (unassisted); SF?Ouellette 2, Carlton; SB?Picard 2 (6)

Northeastern IP H R ER BB SO

Ryan (L,0-3) 2 10 9 9 3 3

Pileski 2 3 4 2 2 2

Piryk 2 2 2 2 0 2

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Creek (W,4-0) 7 4 1 1 1 4

HBP?Czarnowski by Creek; Reichley by Piryk; WP?Ryan, Piryk; T?2:08; ATT?233