UMaine gains spot in finals Freshman Powers shuts down Vermont

loading...

BURLINGTON, Vt. – Having spent part of 11 consecutive days in Vermont, and playing its staunchest conference rival, the University of Maine baseball team didn’t need any extra motivation Friday night.

Despite having their quest delayed nearly three hours by rain, the Black Bears used their emotion to best advantage.

Freshman Mike Powers shut down Vermont for the second time in five days and his teammates backed him with early run support as third-seeded UMaine advanced to the final round of the America East Championship with a 5-2 victory at Centennial Field.

“We knew we wanted to come here and we knew we wanted to beat Vermont,” said sophomore Mark Ostrander, who doubled and singled with an RBI. “They were the team we wanted to face.”

Coach Steve Trimper’s Bears (34-20-1) await the winner of today’s noon losers’ bracket game and will play for the title at 3:30 p.m.. If UMaine wins, it clinches the league championship and a spot in the NCAA Tournament. If not, the two remaining teams would play Sunday at noon to determine the winner.

“This is huge,” said junior co-captain Joel Barrett of Brewer, who stroked a double and two singles. “This is the game you want to win. This is a game for confidence.”

Top-seeded Vermont (19-33) and No. 4 Stony Brook (23-29) square off at noon.

Like last week, the Bears were plagued Friday by weather problems in Burlington. Rain forced postponement of the game from a 4:15 start until 5:15, then 6:15 and, ultimately, to 7:05.

UMaine remained relaxed and focused after spending about 90 minutes back at the hotel. They returned ready to go.

“I watched some TV, laid down,” said Powers (5-3), who was outstanding again after giving up only five hits and an unearned run in 6 1/3 innings here Sunday night.

The righthander from Portland scattered seven hits and two runs (one earned) over seven innings, striking out seven and walking none. He clipped the outside corner with his slider and spotted his fastball effectively.

” I knew I could beat these guys,” Powers said. “I knew what I did against them last time and I just used that to help me pitch against them here tonight.”

Josh Zyskowski and A.J. Balsinde (save) each worked a scoreless inning to preserve the victory.

Joe Hough doubled and singled with an RBI and Danny Menendez singled twice with an RBI for UMaine, which jumped out to a 2-0 lead with runs in the first and second innings.

In the first, Matt McGraw hit into a fielder’s choice, Barrett bounced a hard single through the middle, sending McGraw to third and Ryan Quintal followed with a sacrifice fly to right.

Powers worked his way out of trouble in the second, even after the UMaine infield made two fielding errors. With runners at second and third after a sacrifice bunt, Powers induced back-to-back popups to escape the jam.

“He actually worked out of two errors in one inning and didn’t give up a run. That’s huge,” Trimper said. “That’s a big part of the game.”

UMaine made it 2-0 later in the inning. Ostrander and Menendez singled, then Ostrander scored on Hough’s sharp one-out single to center.

Vermont got on the board in the fourth when Kyle Brault lined a leadoff double to center, moved up on a groundout and scored on Matt Naimoli’s handle single down the right-field line.

The Bears made it 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth. Ostrander was hit by a pitch, raced to third on an errant pickoff throw and scored on a sacrifice fly by Menendez.

“Scoring first is definitely a huge key in this game and gives me a little more comfort out there,” Powers said. “Kudos to my guys hitting for me.”

UMaine pushed the lead to 5-1 with two unearned runs in the fifth. Barrett roped a double to center field, advanced on a groundout and scored when shortstop Jim Chapman booted Curt Smith’s grounder.

Kevin McAvoy reached on an infield single to shortstop, then Ostrander ripped a double inside the bag at third.

Vermont trimmed the deficit to 5-2 with an unearned run in the seventh. Naimoli reached on a fielding error by Smith at shortstop and moved up on a wild pitch. He scored on Jason Carey’s infield single, on which first baseman Barrett made a beautiful diving stop behind the bag.

Powers then got Chapman on a soft liner to second base.

BLACK BEARS 5, CATAMOUNTS 2

Vermont (19-33) Maine (34-20-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Carey, lf 5 0 2 1 Hough, cf 4 0 1

Chapman, ss 5 0 2 0 McGraw, dh 4 1 0

Brault, rf 4 1 1 0 Barrett, 1b 4 1 0

Nolet, 1b 3 0 0 0 Quintal, lf 2 0 1

Fagan, pr 0 0 0 0 Smith, ss 4 1 0

Iannoni, 1b 0 0 0 0 McAvoy, 3b 4 0 0

Rembisz, 2b 4 0 0 0 Hackett, 3b 0 0 0

Naimoli, c 3 1 1 1 Ostrander, rf 3 2 1

Magrass, dh 4 0 1 0 Parker, c 4 0 0

Massie, 3b 4 0 1 0 Menendez, 2b 2 0 1

Huntington, cf 2 0 0 0

Heppner, ph 1 0 0 0

Gallipani, cf 0 0 0 0

Henry, ph 1 0 1 0

Totals 36 2 9 2 Totals 31 5 11 4

Vermont 000 100 100 – 2

Maine 110 120 00x – 5

E-Chapman (14), Brault (4), Thompson (4); Smith 2 (24), Menendez (12); LOB-Vermont 9, Maine 8; 2B-Brault, Hough, Barrett, Ostrander; DP-Massie-Nolet; Smith-Menendez-Barrett; S-Naimoli; SF-Quintal, Menendez; SB-Hough (26)

Vermont IP H R ER BB SO

Thompson (L, 4-3) 4 2/3 9 5 3 1 4

Bayer 3 2 0 0 2 1

Marsh 1/3 0 0 0 0 0

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Powers (W, 5-3) 7 7 2 1 0 6

Zyskowski 1 0 0 0 1 1

Balsinde (S, 3) 1 2 0 0 0 0

HBP- Ostrander (by Thompson); WP-Powers; T-2:41; ATT-612