UMaine secures second for league playoffs

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ORONO – Saturday’s America East baseball doubleheader at Mahaney Diamond was proof that in the conference tournament, every run will count.

University of Maine pitchers combined to allow only eight hits and three runs, but it was only good enough for a split as Vermont edged the Black Bears for the regular-season title and the top tourney seed.

UMaine won the first game 5-1, but Vermont took the nightcap 2-1.

Coach Paul Kostacopoulos’ No. 2 Bears (37-16) play No. 3 Stony Brook (30-19) in Thursday’s 3:30 p.m. first-round game at Burlington, Vt. The 32-12 Catamounts face No. 4 Northeastern (24-21) at 7 p.m.

The Bears are confident they have the talent to repeat as league champs.

“[Vermont] was a good team and this loss didn’t knock us out of anything,” said senior Joe Drapeau of Biddeford. “We’re still coming back to play next week. We’re gonna show up there and we’ll be all business.”

UMaine pitchers dueled superbly Saturday with Vermont’s formidable staff. In the opener, freshman Greg Norton (7-1) pitched six innings of four-hit ball to set the tone.

The poised righthander from South Portland struck out five and walked four, allowing three infield singles. Norton spotted his fastball well and worked in an occasional off-speed pitch.

“Norton’s good,” Kostacopoulos said. “He’s smart. He’s competitive. He works hard, pressure doesn’t bother him.”

Vermont lefthander Derek Miller (4-3), who had limited opponents to a meager .179 batting average, surrendered 11 hits but avoided major trouble until the sixth.

UMaine rallied with one out as Jesse Carlton lined a single to left and Mike Livulpi spanked a bad-hop single off second baseman Dean Geoffrey. Steve Gambale broke a 1-1 tie with a fly-ball single down the line in right.

Simon Williams walked, then was safe at second when shortstop Bobby Tewksbary threw low to second on a fielder’s choice grounder by Joe Hough. Brett Ouellette made it hurt, scorching a two-run single to left that made it 5-1.

“That’s the best pitching staff we’ve faced all year for four straight games. I think we did real well swinging the bats, for the most part,” Ouellette said.

Greg Creek of Chelsea pitched a scoreless seventh to preserve the win.

Livulpi singled three times to pace UMaine. Carlton and Williams each singled twice.

In game two, junior righty Ryan Harris (4-2) spaced four hits in six innings. Two clutch hits by Kyle Brault made some early inning walks prove costly.

Harris, who has allowed only two runs in his last 18 innings, fanned a career-high 10.

“That’s the team to beat right there, probably,” Harris said. “If everything goes well, we’ll have to play them this week and get the best of them, hopefully.”

UMaine couldn’t post enough clutch hits to overcome righty Jeff Dixon (9-0).

Vermont went ahead in the third when Harris issued back-to-back walks. Brault’s two-out single to left provided the winning margin.

The Cats took a 1-0 lead in the first when Brault roped an RBI double off the left field fence.

UMaine tied it in the second with two out. Freshman Ryan Quintal laced a double to center and classmate Gambale ripped a run-scoring double to left.

The Bears had another good chance in the sixth, but couldn’t cash in against Dixon. Drapeau opened with a check-swing single to right and moved up on a passed ball.

Pat Tobin followed with a low line drive to shortstop Tewksbary, who dove back to second base ahead of Drapeau to complete a double play.

“The thing that you keep in perspective is that your whole season is motivated toward winning the America East Championship tournament, because that’s what advances you [to the NCAAs],” Kostacopoulos said. “Thursday starts the season.”

BLACK BEARS 5, CATAMOUNTS 1

(Saturday’s First Game)

Vermont Maine

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Tewksbary, ss 4 0 1 0 Williams, rf 3 0

Barry, cf 3 0 0 0 Hough, lf 4 0 1

Chamberland, 1b 4 0 0 0 Ouellette, 2b 4 2

Brault, lf 3 1 1 0 Picard, dh 3 0 1

Carey, rf 3 0 0 0 Drapeau, 3b 3 0 0

Iannoni, 3b 2 0 0 0 Izaryk, c 3 0 0

Root, dh 1 0 1 0 Carlton, 1b 3 0 0

Roberts, c 3 0 0 0 a-Saunders 0 1 0

Geoffrey, 2b 3 0 1 1 Tobin, 1b 0 0 0

Livulpi, cf 3 1 3 0

Gambale, ss 3 1 1 1

Totals 26 1 4 1 Totals 29 5 11 5

a-ran for Carlton in the sixth

Vermont 010 000 0 ? 1

Maine 100 004 x ? 5

E?Tewksbary (16); Drapeau (7); LOB?Vermont 8; Maine 9; 2B?Brault; Gambale; DP?Tewksbary-Geoffrey-Chamberland; SB?Ouellette (4), Picard (9)

Vermont IP H R ER BB SO

Miller (L,4-3) 5 1/3 11 5 4 3 5

Dobens 2/3 0 0 0 0 2

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

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

Creek 1 0 0 0 0 2

T?2:37

CATAMOUNTS 2, BLACK BEARS 1

(Saturday’s Second Game)

Vermont (32-12) Maine (37-16)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Tewksbary, ss 3 1 0 0 Williams, rf 2 0

Barry, cf 2 1 1 0 Livulpi, cf 4 0 0

Chamberland, 1b 2 0 0 0 Ouellette, 2b 4 0

Brault, lf 3 0 2 2 Picard, dh 3 0 0

Root, dh 3 0 0 0 Izaryk, c 2 0 0

Carey, rf 3 0 0 0 Drapeau, 3b 3 0 0

Iannoni, 3b 3 0 1 0 Tobin, 1b 2 0 0

Naimoli, c 3 0 0 0 Quintal, lf 3 1 0

Roberts, c 0 0 0 0 Gambale, ss 2 0 1

Geoffrey, 2b 3 0 0 0 a-Hough 1 0 0 0

Totals 25 2 4 2 Totals 26 1 6 1

a-fouled out for Gambale in the 7th

Vermont 101 000 0 ? 2

Maine 010 000 0 ? 1

E?Izaryk (2); LOB?Vermont 6; Maine 8; 2B?Barry, Brault, Iannoni; Quintal, Gambale; DP?Tewksbary (una.); SB?Barry (29); Ouellette (5)

Vermont IP H R ER BB SO

Dixon (W,9-0) 6 2/3 6 1 1 2 5

Dobens (S,5) 1/3 0 0 0 0 0

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Harris (L,4-2) 6 4 2 2 3 10

Labelle 1 0 0 0 0 2

HBP?Williams by Dixon 2; Chamberland by Harris; PB?Roberts; T?2:07; ATT?476