Bears erupt to take three of four Picard, Drapeau pace Maine attack; Norton, Collar shine on mound

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ORONO – The University of Maine baseball team has been waiting for its top hitters to get hot at the same time. The Black Bears took a big step toward that goal over the weekend.

Seniors Alain Picard and Joe Drapeau combined to go 17-for-29 with 13 RBIs and 17 runs scored as UMaine took three of four games from Binghamton in an America East series at Mahaney Diamond.

Coach Paul Kostacopoulos’ Bears (26-11 overall, 9-3 AE) collected 25 hits in sweeping Sunday’s doubleheader 8-0 and 13-9. On Saturday, UMaine took the nightcap 12-4 after Binghamton (7-27-1, 1-11 AE) won the opener 6-3.

The Bears bunched their hits all weekend, scoring 18 of their 36 runs in only three innings. Picard spearheaded the charge, posting 10 hits in 15 trips (.667) with two home runs, seven RBIs and nine runs scored.

Biddeford’s Drapeau went 7-for-14 with six RBIs and eight runs scored, belting three home runs. He is now four homers shy of Mark Sweeney’s career-record 52.

“I think a lot of guys are starting to get their rhythm at the plate,” Picard said. “What kills the other team is when you get those big innings and that’s what we did [Sunday].”

The Bears got another well-rounded performance from sophomore Greg Creek of Chelsea, who was 5-for-8 (7 RBIs) in three games and earned the pitching win in Sunday’s finale.

In Sunday’s opener, UMaine broke loose for seven runs in the sixth inning to finally give freshman Greg Norton (5-1) some breathing room. Norton, a righthander from South Portland, pitched his first collegiate shutout while scattering four hits. He struck out eight and walked two.

“He had to throw up a lot of zeroes in tight situations,” Kostacopoulos said. “That was a tough game and I give him a lot of credit. He’s starting to believe in himself now.”

The Bears scored the only run they would need in the third off loser Johnim Hickey (1-3). Picard led off with a single and later rode home on Creek’s sacrifice fly to right-center.

UMaine got some clutch hits in the pivotal sixth. Picard opened the floodgates with a two-out, two-run double to center. Creek later hit a two-run single and Williams stroked an RBI double.

“It makes you work hard, because you want to keep them where they are,” Norton said. “But it was a relief when we got seven runs there.”

Picard led UMaine with a double and two singles. Creek had two singles (3 RBIs) and Williams doubled and singled.

In Sunday’s finale, the Bearcats raced to a 5-0 lead, but the hosts responded with five runs in the third inning and seven more in the fourth.

Creek (5-0) wasn’t especially sharp, but pitched two scoreless innings after a shaky start to allow his teammates to provide him with some support.

“At the critical time we had an opportunity to win the game we scored five,” Kostacopoulos said, “he goes back out, shuts them down, gives us another chance, we score seven, he shuts them down.”

Key blows in the third included an RBI double by Drapeau, Ryan Quintal’s two-run double and a two-run triple by Williams, who halted a recent slump, going 5-for-8.

The Bears chased starter Tom Gaube (0-4) in the fourth. Quintal smashed a grand slam while Picard and Aaron Young stroked RBI singles off reliever Josh Fuerst to make it 12-5.

Picard added a solo homer in the fifth.

“This weekend, we had five or six guys in the lineup crushing the ball and it’s contagious,” Creek said. “That’s what we’ve been missing.”

Binghamton had taken the lead on Justin Smucker’s solo home run in the first, Kyle Loucks’ RBI double in the second and a three-run blast by Joe Costello in the third.

On Saturday, the Bears committed six errors while splitting a doubleheader. In Game 2, Mike Collar was outstanding and was backed by a 14-hit barrage. The junior righthander from Scarborough scattered six hits and two runs over 6 1/3 innings.

Collar (6-2) struck out 10 and walked two, surrendering his first base on balls in more than 31 innings. He had fanned 43 batters without issuing a walk.

“Every time he pitches you’re gonna expect the best from him,” Drapeau said. “He’s very business-like; he throws strikes, he doesn’t walk many guys. He keeps the defense in the game.”

Creek rapped an RBI single and a double, had an RBI walk and hit a two-run homer, the first of his career. Drapeau capped a 5-for-7 day with a three-run homer and a single.

“I was laying off some bad pitches, being able to hit the ones that were up in the zone and to drive them. I was fortunate enough to hit the ball hard and it went out,” said Drapeau, who homered twice in Game 1.

Picard and Steve Gambale each singled twice, while Quintal provided an RBI single.

Tony Berube led Binghamton with a solo homer and a run-scoring double.

In Saturday’s opener, the Bearcats reached Mike MacDonald of Camden (4-4) for seven hits, including a home run and four doubles.

UMaine managed only six hits, including two solo home runs by Drapeau and another by Picard. Mike Weglinski went 5 1/3 innings to get the win.

The Bearcats scored two unearned runs in the fourth, aided by three UMaine errors.

T.J. Kowalchuk rapped RBI doubles in the fourth and sixth to pace the Bearcats. Smucker hit a solo shot in the sixth and Loucks added an RBI double in the three-run sixth.

BEARCATS 6, BLACK BEARS 3

(Saturday’s First Game)

Binghamton (7-24-1) Maine (23-11)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Berube, rf 4 0 0 0 Livulpi, cf 4 0 0

Smucker, ss 4 2 1 1 Ouellette, 2b 4 0 0

Balback, 3b 3 2 2 0 Izaryk, c 4 0 0

Costello, lf 3 0 0 0 Drapeau, 3b 3 2 2

Kowalchuk, cf 3 1 2 2 Picard, dh 3 1

Loucks, c 3 0 1 1 Williams, lf 2 0 0

Lewin, 1b 2 1 0 0 Hough, rf 2 0 0

Cummings, dh 2 0 0 0 Young, rf 0 0 0

Caputo, 2b 3 0 1 1 Carlton, 1b 1 0 0

Creek, 1b 1 0 0 0

Gambale 3 0 0 0

Totals 27 6 7 5 Totals 27 3 6 3

Binghamton 001 203 0 ? 6

Maine 010 101 0 ? 3

E?Balback; Drapeau, Hough, Gambale; LOB?Binghamton 2, Maine 6; 2B?Kowalchuk 2, Balback, Loucks; HR?Drapeau 2 (8), Picard; S?Cummings; SB?Williams

Binghamton IP H R ER BB SO

Weglinski (W, 2-4) 5 1/3 6 3 3 2 5

Brink (S, 1) 1 2/3 0 0 0 1 2

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

MacDonald (L, 4-4) 5 1/3 7 6 4 1 6

Labelle 1 2/3 0 0 0 0 1

WP?Brink; PB?Loucks; T?2:17

BLACK BEARS 12, BEARCATS 4

(Saturday’s Second Game)

Binghamton (7-25-1) Maine (24-11)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Berube, rf 4 2 2 2 Livulpi, cf 3 0 0

Smucker, ss 4 0 1 1 Saunders, cf 1 0 0

Balback, 3b 4 1 1 0 Ouellette, 2b 3 1 0

Costello, lf 3 0 1 0 Reichley, ss 0 0 0

Kowalchuk, cf 2 0 1 1 Picard, dh 4 0

Loucks, c 3 0 0 0 Drapeau, 3b 4 3 3

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

Hark, dh 2 0 0 0 Creek, 1b 4 2 4

a-Collyer 1 0 0 0 Quintal, lf-rf 1 2 2

Caputo, 2b 2 0 1 0 Young, rf 3 0 1

b-Lindsay 1 1 0 0 Houser, lf 1 0 0

Hough, rf 0 0 0 0

Gambale, ss-2b 4 0 2 1

Totals 28 4 8 4 Totals 31 12 14 11

a-grounded out for Hark in 7th; b-reached on an error for Caputo in 7th

Binghamton 100 001 2 ? 4

Maine 202 260 x ? 12

E?Darling; Ouellette 2, Drapeau; LOB?Binghamton 5, Maine 12; 2B?Berube; Creek; 3B?Kowalchuk; HR?Berube; Drapeau (9), Creek (1); SF?Quintal

Binghamton IP H R ER BB SO

Darling (L, 0-1) 3 8 5 3 3 3

Thiel 3 6 7 7 3 3

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Collar (W, 6-2) 6 1/3 6 2 2 2 10

Foley 2/3 2 2 1 0 0

HBP?Drapeau by Darling, Ouellette, Izaryk, Reichley by Thiel; WP?Thiel 2; PB?Loucks; T?2:30; ATT?85

BLACK BEARS 8, BEARCATS 0

(Sunday’s First Game)

Binghamton (7-26-1) Maine (25-11)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Berube, rf 3 0 1 0 Livulpi, cf 4 0 0

Smucker, ss 3 0 0 0 Ouellette, 2b 3 1 0

Balback, 3b 3 0 0 0 Picard, dh 4 2 2

Costello, lf 3 0 1 0 Drapeau, 3b 3 1 0

Kowalchuk, cf 2 0 0 0 Izaryk, c 0 0

Loucks, c 3 0 1 0 Quintal, lf 3 0 0

Thiel, 1b 3 0 0 0 Young, rf 0 1 0

Darling, dh 3 0 1 0 Creek, lb 3 0 3

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

Carlton, 1b 0 0 0 0

Williams, rf-lf 3 1 2 1

Gambale, ss 3 0 1 0

Totals 25 0 4 0 Totals 26 8 11 6

a-ran for Creek in 6th

Binghamton 000 000 0 ? 0

Maine 001 007 x ? 8

E?Thiel; LOB?Binghamton 6, Maine 10; 2B?Picard, Williams; S?Gambale; SF?Creek; SB?Thiel

Binghamton IP H R ER BB SO

Hickey (L, 1-3) 5 1/3 9 7 7 5 2

Messina 2/3 2 1 1 1 0

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Norton (W, 5-1) 7 4 0 0 2 8

HBP?Williams, Ouellette by Hickey; WP?Hickey 5, Messina; T?2:19; ATT?85

BLACK BEARS 13, BEARCATS 9

(Sunday’s Second Game)

Binghamton (7-27-1) Maine (26-11)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Berube, rf 3 0 0 0 Young, rf 5 1 1

Smucker, ss 3 2 1 1 Ouellette, 2b 3 2 0

Balback, 3b 4 2 2 0 Picard, dh 4 3 3

Costello, lf 4 2 2 4 Drapeau, 3b 4 2 1

Kowalchuk, cf 3 3 2 2 Izaryk, c 1 0

Loucks, c 4 0 1 1 Quintal, lf 3 2 6

Thiel, 1b 4 0 1 0 Carlton, 1b 4 0 0

Lewin, dh 1 0 0 0 Williams, cf 3 1 2

Lindsay, dh 1 0 0 0 Gambale, ss 4 0 0

Caputo, 2b 3 0 1 1

Totals 30 9 10 9 Totals 31 13 14 13

Binghamton 113 001 3 ? 9

Maine 005 710 x ? 13

E?Thiel; LOB?Binghamton 4, Maine 6; 2B?Costello, Loucks; Drapeau, Quintal, Williams; 3B?Williams; HR?Smucker, Costello, Kowalchuk; Picard (5), Quintal (3); SB?Picard, Drapeau

Binghamton IP H R ER BB SO

Gaube (L, 0-4) 3 7 7 7 4 3

Fuerst 2 6 6 5 1 1

Shores 1 1 0 0 0 0

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Creek (W, 5-0) 5 5 5 5 3 2

Harris 1 2 1 1 1 2

Labelle 1 3 3 3 0 1

HBP?Izaryk by Gaube; WP?Fuerst; T?2:20; ATT?85