Maine gains berth in NCAA tourney Hough wins game of inches with 8-foot chopper

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BURLINGTON, Vt. – The University of Maine baseball team waffled under playoff pressure Saturday in the championship round of the America East tournament at Centennial Field.

Needing one win to earn the league title and an NCAA Tournament berth, some players lost their composure in the first game – a 6-5, 10-inning Vermont victory.

In the finale, after a rain shower cleared the air, the Black Bears regrouped and demonstrated their ability to perform in clutch situations.

Joe Hough’s chopper in front of home plate scored pinch runner Mark Ostrander with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning, lifting No. 2 UMaine to an emotional 6-5 victory over No. 3 Vermont.

“We had the mindset that we were going to battle hard all day and we were going to do whatever it took, for as long as it took, to get it done,” said UMaine’s Ryan Quintal.

Coach Paul Kostacopoulos’ resilient Bears (34-17) await today’s 11:30 a.m. selection show on ESPN to find out who and where they’ll play Friday in the 64-team NCAA Tournament.

“Eight hours of constant intensity,” was how Kostacopoulos described Saturday. “This is probably one of the most rewarding days of baseball I’ve had, but also one of the toughest.”

The relentless Catamounts (29-19) clawed their way back from Thursday’s loss to UMaine with three straight wins, two in 10 innings, to reach the title game.

“You’ve got to give those guys over there (Vermont) a lot of credit,” Hough said. “They’re a classy team and we just found a way to win it.”

Hough, a junior center fielder from West Roxbury, Mass., was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after going 11-for-21 (.524) with five RBIs and eight runs scored.

Joining Hough on the All-Tournament team, chosen regardless of position, are five teammates: Pitcher Greg Norton, second baseman Mike Ferriggi, designated hitter Greg Creek, outfielder Ryan Quintal and catcher Aaron Izaryk.

Vermont placed starting pitcher Derek Miller, outfielder Jason Carey, third baseman Miguel Magrass, DH Frank Rossi and reliever Bryan Rembisz on the squad.

Some of the Bears experienced a meltdown in Game 1 after UMaine built a 5-0 lead, then watched the Catamounts chip away and steal a victory. UMaine’s collective frustration, much of it directed at home plate umpire Nick Zibelli’s strike zone, emerged in the tense late innings.

Ross Cantara of Biddeford was ejected after the top of the ninth, shortly after two water bottles were thrown from the dugout toward home plate. He received a two-game disqualification.

Ferriggi was tossed after being called out on strikes for the second out of the 10th. He angrily charged toward home plate, but was restrained by UMaine coaches.

Ferriggi’s actions were deemed by umpires to be less serious and he was allowed to play in the second game.

“I told them that’s not a very proud moment,” Kostacopoulos said. “We did one heck of a job of believing we were going to get this thing done because we did a very bad thing coming unglued in the first game. To regroup like that in the same day is pretty special.”

The second game was delayed an hour by rain. During the break, the Bears sat on the bus, took a collective deep breath, and tried to break the tension.

“We were just sitting there and everyone was down, no one was saying anything,” said senior Greg Creek. “Coach got on the bus and said, ‘lighten up, you have another chance, that’s why you’re in the winners’ bracket.’ We started joking around on the bus and loosened up and came out and played like we always do.”

UMaine received clutch contributions from several players. Freshman lefthander Jason Weymouth of Charleston started the finale and allowed four runs on five hits in the first two innings.

He limited Vermont to six hits and a single run after that before giving way to ace righthander Steve Richard with one out in the ninth.

“He’s been solid all year and he just went nuts tonight. He had the performance of his life,” said sophomore Joel Barrett of Brewer.

Weymouth struck out two and walked three. The Bears turned two double plays behind him.

“It was just amazing to be on the mound, just to be part of this,” Weymouth said. “Once I got settled down, we put some goose eggs up there and got back into it.”

Richard (8-1), who threw 100 pitches in a shaky effort Thursday, got redemption. Featuring a 93 mph fastball, he allowed only two hits and struck out three in 2 2/3 innings.

“I was tired, but the adrenaline from that game was overpowering,” Richard said.

Freshman Curt Smith provided two clutch, two-out hits in the championship contest. In the first, he pounded a two-run triple to deep center field to tie it at 3-3.

In the seventh, with UMaine down 4-3, he smashed an RBI triple to the gap in right-center.

“It was an emotional day,” Smith said. “I was feeling really good at the plate today and I was just trying to drive the ball to score the runs.”

The Bears were one strike away from having their season ended in the ninth. Aaron Izaryk (leadoff double) was at second with two outs and Ferriggi fell behind 0-2 to UVM lefthander Chris Blazek.

With Catamount fans chanting and players poised to storm onto the field, Ferriggi punched a run-scoring single to right field.

“I’m not gonna lie, it was scary,” Ferriggi said. “Facing a kid the quality of Blazek, who is a great pitcher, I just knew I had to battle. The main thing there was not strike out, put the ball in play.”

Vermont had taken a 5-4 lead in the ninth on Carey’s two-out RBI single off Richard, who inherited two baserunners.

UMaine had runners at first and second with nobody out in the 10th, but gritty reliever Rembisz came on to retire the next three batters.

The Bears finally won it in the 11th. Smith reached on an error by shortstop Raymond Montanez and Matt McGraw chopped a single over the head of charging third baseman Magrass.

Ferriggi bounced into a fielder’s choice, then Ray Vallee of Augusta posted an infield single to load the bases. Hough fouled off a 1-2 pitch before winning it on a ball that went about eight feet.

“You knew it wasn’t going to be a routine type of ending,” Kostacopoulos said.

In the opener, UMaine collected 10 hits, but was held scoreless over the last six innings by a trio of Vermont relievers.

The Catamounts erased a 5-0 deficit and pulled out the win in the 10th. Scott Robinson (2-2) walked Montanez with one out, then Rossi beat out a bunt single and Carey reached on a throwing error.

Magrass clinched it, bouncing a hard single up the middle.

The Cats scratched out single runs in the fourth through seventh innings, spoiling a gritty six-inning effort by starter Troy Martin, who had worked 3 2/3 innings and threw 55 pitches Thursday night.

CATAMOUNTS 6, BLACK BEARS 5

(Saturday’s First Game)

Vermont Maine

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Hough, cf 3 2 2 0 Rossi, cf 6 0 1

Creek, dh 5 1 1 1 Carey, lf 5 0 0

Barrett, 1b 5 0 2 1 Magrass, 3b 6 1 1

Quintal, lf 5 0 1 1 Brault, rf 4 1 0

Izaryk, c 4 0 0 0 Chapman, 2b 5 0 0

Smith, 3b 5 0 0 0 Iannoni, 1b 4 0 1

McGraw, rf 4 0 0 0 Folley, dh 5 0 1

Ostrander, rf 0 0 0 0 Naimoli, c 4 0

Ferriggi, 2b 5 1 3 0 Gallipani, pr 0 1 0

Rivera, 2b 0 0 0 0 Hale, c 1 0 0 0

Vallee, ss 5 1 1 0 Montanez, ss 3 3 1

Totals 41 5 10 3 Totals 43 6 14 5

Maine 102 200 000 0 – 5

Vermont 000 111 110 1 – 6

E-Smith (15), Ferriggi (10), Vallee (9); Brault (5), Montanez 2 (13); LOB-Maine 10; UVM 14; 2B-Barrett; Montanez; 3B-Hough; HR-Montanez (2); S-Montanez

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Martin 6 6 3 2 3 1

Robinson (L,2-2) 3.3 8 3 2 1 2

Vermont IP H R ER BB SO

Miles 3.1 6 5 3 0 2

Rembisz 4.2 2 0 0 2 5

Marsh 0.2 2 0 0 1 0

Serafin (W,6-2) 1.1 0 0 0 0 2

WP-Martin; Miles; T-3:10

BLACK BEARS 6, CATAM,OUNTS 5

(Saturday’s Second Game)

Vermont (29-19) Maine (34-17)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Rossi, dh 6 1 4 0 Hough, cf 6 1 1

Carey, lf 3 1 1 2 Creek, dh 6 1 1

Magrass, 3b 5 1 1 1 Barrett, 1b 4 1 0

Brault, rf 5 0 0 0 Quintal, lf 5 0 0

Chapman, 2b 4 0 1 1 Izaryk, c 5 2 0

Iannoni, 1b 4 0 1 0 Smith, 3b 5 0 3

Massie, cf 5 0 1 1 McGraw, rf 5 0 0

Naimoli, c 5 1 2 0 Ostrander, pr 0 1 0

Montanez, ss 4 1 2 0 Ferriggi, 2b 5 0 1

Vallee, ss 6 0 2 0

Totals 41 5 13 5 Totals 47 6 15 6

Vermont 310 000 001 00 – 5

Maine 300 000 101 01 – 6

E-Brault (6), Montanez 2 (15); LOB-UVM 8; Maine 18; 2B-Montanez; Creek 2, Izaryk; 3B-Smith 2; DP-Weymouth-Ferriggi-Barrett, Ferriggi-Barrett; S-Quintal; SF-Carey, Chapman; SB-Magrass (17)

Vermont IP H R ER BB SO

Boyle 3.2 5 3 3 2 1

Thompson 3 4 1 1 1 1

Marsh 1 1 0 0 1 1

Blazek 1.1 2 1 1 1 1

Rembisz (L,1-2) 1.1 3 1 0 0 2

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Weymouth 8.1 11 5 5 3 2

Richard (W,8-1) 2.2 2 0 0 0 3

HBP-Ferriggi by Boyle, McGraw by Marsh; WP-Rembisz; T-3:31; ATT-732