MANSFIELD, Conn. – Having lost eight consecutive games, the University of Maine baseball team was badly in need of a confidence boost.

Brad Hertzler helped get the Black Bears back into the right frame of mind Friday afternoon.

The junior lefthander allowed only four hits in seven innings and struck out nine as UMaine opened its four-game America East weekend series with a 12-1 victory over Maryland Baltimore County.

In the second game, which was scheduled for seven innings, Curt Smith spanked an RBI single off the glove of third baseman Mark Lemon with two out in the eighth as the Bears edged the Retrievers 7-6 to complete the sweep.

The series was moved to Eastern Connecticut State University because of poor field conditions and Thursday night’s snowstorm in Maine. All the teams had to deal with here were cold temperatures and a brisk northwest wind.

“The kids persevered today,” said UMaine coach Steve Trimper. “We were kind of in limbo about this weekend, so what I’m proud of about these kids is they kept their minds clear and didn’t worry about those little things.”

The teams play a 3 p.m. doubleheader today consisting of a seven-inning opener and a nine-inning second game.

UMaine (7-19, 2-4 America East), which showed tremendous resolve with its Game 2 comeback, is hoping the sweep will ignite a hot streak.

“It’s good to get that feeling of winning so you know what it feels like again,” said senior co-captain Matt McGraw, who was a part of UMaine rallies in the sixth and seventh innings of the second game. “Hopefully, we can build on this.”

Hertzler, a transfer from the Community College of Rhode Island, earned his first Division I victory. He exhibited a good selection of pitches, which he mixed quite effectively.

“It was a cold day, but I felt pretty comfortable,” Hertzler said. “I had all four of my pitches going for me, so I was just pounding the zone because I knew the defense would field everything that came at them.”

Hertzler (1-3) labored a bit early, then shook off the chilly temperatures and brisk wind to regain command. He wound up throwing 112 pitches.

“I think he learned a lot from last weekend’s game, that when he doesn’t have velocity on a cold day or whatever, he has to learn to pitch a little bit,” Trimper said. “He hit spots, kept the ball down and did a great job for us.”

UMaine backed Hertzler with a 19-hit attack, but stranded 11 baserunners and ran into three outs on the basepaths. The Bears didn’t put the game out of reach until breaking loose for six runs in the eighth.

Freshman catcher Myckie Lugbauer paced UMaine with four hits, including a double, and three RBIs. However, he slipped crossing the plate in the eighth and left the game with a minor injury to his left knee and didn’t play in Game 2.

McGraw drilled a two-run home run and two singles, Billy Cather posted a double, two singles and two RBIs, and Bangor’s Brian Hackett collected three singles and an RBI.

Leading 2-1, the Bears scored three times in the fourth to take charge. After Hackett led off with a single but was thrown out trying to stretch it, Danny Menendez pulled a single to left.

McGraw followed with his two-run shot to right field. Smith then walked and stole second, prompting UMBC (8-19, 0-6 AE) to walk Joel Barrett intentionally. Lugbauer scored a run with a hard single to center, making it 5-1.

Joe Fowler stroked two doubles for the Retrievers behind loser Will Delawter (0-4). Steve Russo added an RBI double.

In the nightcap, the Bears trailed 5-1 going into the bottom of the sixth, but came all the way back to win it.

Retrievers starter Steve Evans slowed the Bears’ momentum while keeping them off-balance for five strong innings, but wasn’t able to finish off the feisty Bears.

UMaine No. 9 hitter Menendez, who went into the series mired in an 1-for-20 (.050) slump, ignited the winning rally in the eighth against reliever Tom Schlein. Menendez shot a double down the right-field line and, after Cather walked, took third on McGraw’s flyout to left-center.

Smith worked a 2-1 count before he rifled a single off Lemon’s glove and into left field to win it.

“All I was trying to do was make contact,” Smith said. “That’s all I had to do. It went through and we won.”

Freshman righty Ryan Forrest claimed his first collegiate win with 1 2/3 innings of hitless relief. He struck out two men with runners at second and third to end the seventh, then retired the side in the eighth.

“He has a good changeup,” Trimper said. “He’s only a freshman, so he’ll be a good one down the road.”

Menendez, who singled twice and drove in three runs in the opener, also was the catalyst in the UMaine seventh in Game 2. He roped a leadoff double off the fence in right-center as the Bears scored twice to make it 6-6.

“Walk, hit … you’ve got to get on base any way you can to get the rally going,” said Menendez, who finished Game 2 wigth two doubles and a single. “We’ve got to get innings started, because we know we’ll get timely hitting.”

McGraw, Smith, Mark Ostrander and Kevin Jackson each singled twice in UMaine’s 13-hit attack.

Steve Russo sparked UMBC with a solo homer and two singles (one RBI), while Delawter singled three times with an RBI.

BLACK BEARS 12, RETRIEVERS 1

(Friday’s First Game)

UMBC Maine

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Scheffel, cf 5 0 1 0 Cather, cf 6 0 2

Fowler, 2b 4 0 2 0 McGraw, lf-c 5 1 2

Bowen 4 0 0 0 Smith, ss 4 2 0

Gale, 1b 3 1 1 0 Barrett, 1b 4 2 0

Russo, 3b 4 0 1 1 Lugbauer, c 5 1 3

Peddicord, rf 4 0 0 0 Hasenfus, lf 0 0

Meaney, lf 2 0 0 0 Ostrander, rf 5 1 0

Phillips, ph 1 0 1 0 Jackson, dh 5 2 0

Friedel, dh 3 0 0 0 Hackett, ss 4 1 1

Lemon, ph 1 0 0 0 Menendez, 2b 2 2 3

Warrenfeltz, c 4 0 0 0

Totals 35 1 6 2 Totals 40 12 19 11

UMBC 001 000 000 – 1

Maine 011 310 06x – 12

E-Fowler, Russo, Bowen; Hackett, Menendez, Hertzler; LOB-UMBC 9, Maine 11; 2B-Fowler 2, Russo; Barrett, Lugbauer, Cather; HR-McGraw; DP-Meaney-Scheffel-Warrenfeltz, Bowen-Warrenfeltz; SH-Menendez; SF-Menendez; SB-Smith

UMBC IP H R ER BB SO

Delwater (L, 0-4) 5 14 6 6 2 1

Sauter 1 1 0 0 0 2

Hendry 1 0 0 0 1 0

Duffy 2/3 4 6 4 2 0

Buchholz 1/3 0 0 0 0 0

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Hertzler (W, 1-3) 7 4 1 1 1 9

Carroll 2 2 0 0 1 2

WP-Delwater 2; T-2:29; ATT-40

BLACK BEARS 7, RETRIEVERS 6

(Friday’s Second Game)

UMBC (8-19) Maine (7-19)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Scheffel, cf 4 1 0 0 Cather, cf 3 1 0

Fowler, 2b 3 2 1 1 McGraw, c 4 1 0

Bowen, ss 4 0 2 0 Smith, 3b 5 1 2

Delawter, dh 4 1 3 1 Barrett, 1b 4 1 1

Gale, 1b 4 0 1 1 Ostrander, rf 4 1 1

Russo, lf 4 2 3 2 Jackson, dh 4 0 1

Meaney, c 4 0 1 0 Hasenfus, lf 3 0 1

Peddicord, rf 4 0 1 0 Hackett, ss 4 0

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

Totals 35 6 13 6 Totals 35 7 13 6

UMBC 012 011 10 – 6

Maine 000 103 21 – 7

E-Bowen 2, Meaney; Hackett; LOB-UMBC 7; Maine 9; 2B-Menendez 2; HR-Fowler, Russo; Barrett (2); DP-UMBC 2; Maine 2; S-McGraw; SB-Scheffel; McGraw

UMBC IP H R ER BB SO

Evans 7 11 6 4 2 5

Schlein (L, 1-1) 2/3 2 1 1 1 1

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Powers 5 2/3 11 5 4 0 4

Mendoz 2/3 2 1 1 1 1

Forrest (W, 1-1) 1 2/3 0 0 0 0 3

HBP-by Powers (Scheffel); WP-Evans; Forrest; T-2:23; ATT-40