Bears warm up with 34 runs in 2 wins Patane, Howard, Ostrander, Lukas spark outburst against New Jersey Tech

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BANGOR DAILY NEWS PHOTO BY KEVIN BENNETT

BANGOR – Baseball players often say hitting is contagious.

The University of Maine certainly did some sick hitting over the weekend against New Jersey Institute of Technology.

The Black Bears pounded the Highlanders to the tune of 34 runs and 35 hits while breezing to two victories at the chilly Winkin Complex on the Husson College campus.

UMaine broke out of its recent offensive doldrums while posting a 15-3 victory Saturday, then followed that up Sunday with a resounding 19-0 win.

“It’s about time,” said sophomore shortstop Tony Patane, who posted six hits and six RBIs in the series. “We’ve got a bunch of talented hitters and we all just came up real relaxed and did real well.”

New York Tech downed New Jersey Tech 11-2 in Sunday’s first game.

Sunday afternoon, Patane and redshirt freshman Matt Howard knocked in four runs each as UMaine (9-13-1) cruised.

Howard, the designated hitter making only his fifth start, jacked a solo home run to left in UMaine’s three-run third inning and laced an opposite-field, three-run shot to right to key the Bears’ eight-run fifth.

“It was nice to see everybody hit,” said UMaine coach Steve Trimper. “The guys did a tremendous job, having good approaches at the plate.”

Patane beat out a bunt single, ripped an RBI single to center in the third, pulled a run-scoring single to left in the fourth and laced a two-run double to left in the sixth.

Senior Mark Ostrander also swung a hot bat with two doubles and two singles Sunday. He posted six hits, five runs scored and four RBIs in the series.

“I had a little bit of fun today,” Ostrander said Sunday. He pointed to Saturday’s five-run sixth inning as putting the Bears back on track.

“From that point on, just rolling on into [Sunday], there was no doubt in our minds that we were going to hit.”

Freshman Jarrett Lukas of Old Town collected a triple and three singles (two RBIs) for UMaine, while sophomore Joe Mercurio poked a double and two singles (three RBIs).

Freshman righthander Matt Jebb (2-1) set the tone on the mound Sunday, pitching six innings of two-hit ball with eight strikeouts. He enjoyed the offensive support.

“We haven’t been hitting very well for the past few weeks, but [Sunday] we really put it together,” said Jebb, who blended an overhand curveball, fastball and slider. “The hitters and pitchers both did a very good job.”

Three relievers pitched an inning apiece to complete the combined shutout.

Matt Marotta singled twice for New Jersey Tech (2-22), which is playing its second season as a Division I program.

The Bears took a 2-0 lead in the second against loser Bobby Wyrwa (0-5), then tallied three in the second on the strength of Howard’s homer and RBI singles by Patane and Lukas.

UMaine, which scored in every inning except the first, played errorless defense for the fourth straight contest. The Bears tied a school record with seven doubles.

In Saturday’s game, Smith and Ostrander belted home runs during a five-run sixth inning that spurred the Bears on to victory.

The 15 runs were as many as UMaine, which piled up 14 hits, had scored in its previous six games combined.

“It’s a good win. We needed to come out and hit,” Trimper said. “We kind of got into a little funk not hitting the last couple weeks.”

Trailing 3-1, the Bears got hot in the sixth. Smith broke UMaine’s offensive tension, launching a 2-0 changeup from loser P.J. Saporito (1-6) off the roof of the housing complex beyond the fence in left-center.

“I was pretty nervous, especially in the first three of four innings that we didn’t score,” Smith said. “I’m like, here we go again.”

Saporito, a soft throwing lefthander with good control, had limited UMaine to a run on three hits through five innings and did not walk a batter.

“It definitely set a tone when I hit the home run, and everyone followed me,” Smith said.

Myckie Lugbauer immediately singled to right and, one out later, Ostrander drilled a two-run homer to left, onto a snowbank, putting the Bears in front for good (4-3) and chasing Saporito.

A two-out, infield single by Lukas, two wild pitches, a walk, a stolen base and Billy Cather’s two-run single through the middle sent UMaine on its way.

“We’ve been working real hard in practice to get it going and it finally clicked,” said Lugbauer, who added a double, a single and scored three times. “I think we got into some bad habits a little bit and it was really just a case of everybody focusing on what was going on and getting back into it.”

Ostrander also stung an RBI triple, while Patane hit a two-run homer and a single and Kevin McAvoy of Brewer poked a two-run double. Lukas added another single.

“I think tonight the biggest thing is that we did all the little things. We got the big hit,” Trimper said.

UMaine starter Kevin Scanlan allowed three hits and three runs through five innings, before Kyle Benoit (2-0) provided three innings of one-hit, shutout ball with four strikeouts to pick up the win.

“It was a relief,” Benoit said of the offensive explosion. “It’s a big mental booster. It takes a load off when you have your bats working.”

Matt Schlitter spanked a two-run single for NJIT.

pwarner@bangordailynews.net

990-8240

BLACK BEARS 15, HIGHLANDERS 3

(Saturday’s Game)

New Jersey Tech Maine

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Binkiewicz, cf 3 0 0 0 Cather, cf 4 2

Farina, ph 1 0 0 0 Howard, lf 0 0 0

Lugo, ss 2 1 0 0 Menendez, 2b 3 1 2

Petrosino, ph 1 0 1 0 Smith, dh 6 1

Schlitter, dh 4 0 1 2 Lugbauer, 1b 5 1

Pietrocola, lf 4 1 1 0 McAvoy, lf 5 2

Morogiello, 2b 4 0 1 0 Hasenfus, cf 0 0

Nazario, 3b 3 0 1 1 Ostrander, rf 5 2 3

Turner, 1b 3 0 0 0 Patane, ss 4 2 2

Cardone, c 2 0 0 0 Lukas, 3b 4 2 0

Hamilton, ph 1 0 1 0 Mercurio, c 2 2 0

D’Aloia, rf 2 1 0 0

McCarthy, ph 1 0 0 0

Totals 31 3 6 3 Totals 38 15 14 13

New Jersey Tech 010 020 000 – 3

Maine 001 005 27x – 15

E-Cardone (6), Morogiello (3), Nazario 9; LOB-NJIT 9, Maine 9; 2B-Lugbauer, McAvoy; 3B-Ostrander, Mercurio; HR-Smith (6), Ostrander (3), Patane (2); DP-Menendez-Lugbauer; S-Mercurio; SF-Menendez; SB-Lugo (5), Schlitter (1), Morogiello (2); Menendez 2 (4), Mercurio (3), Lukas (2), Patane (1)

New Jersey Tech IP H R ER BB SO

Saporito (L,1-6) 5 1/3 6 4 4 0 4

Molfetas 1/3 2 2 2 1 1

Melody 1 1/3 2 3 3 3 0

Ace 1/3 3 4 4 1 0

Bermudez 0 1 2 1 1 0

Parenti 2/3 0 0 0 1 1

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Scanlan 5 3 3 3 5 8

Benoit (W,2-0) 3 1 0 0 2 4

Balentina 1 2 0 0 0 2

Bermudez faced five batters in the eighth

HBP-Turner (by Benoit); WP-Molfetas 2, Melody 3, Ace; Scanlan; PB-Cardone; T-3:14; ATT-116

BLACK BEARS 19, HIGHLANDERS 0

(Sunday’s Game)

New Jersey Tech (2-22) Maine (9-13-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Lugo, 2b 3 0 0 0 Menendez, 2b 5 1 1

Hamilton, 2b 0 0 0 0 Howard, dh 3 3 4

D’Aloia, rf 3 0 0 0 Jackson, dh 3 0 1

Farina, ph 1 0 1 0 Smith, lf 4 2 1

Schlitter, dh 3 0 0 0 Lugbauer, 1b 3 1

Berner, 3b 4 0 0 0 Martin, 1b 1 0 0

Tomczyk, c 2 0 0 0 Ostrander, rf 5 3 1

Cardone, c 1 0 0 0 Patane, ss 6 2 4

Marotta, ss 3 0 2 0 Cather, cf 3 1 1

McCarthy, 1b 3 0 0 0 Hasenfus, cf 0 0 0

Petrosino, lf 2 0 0 0 Lukas, 3b 6 2

Binkiewicz, cf 3 0 0 0 Mercurio, c 4 3

Totals 28 0 3 0 Totals 43 19 21 19

New Jersey Tech 000 000 000 – 0

Maine 023 282 11x – 19

E-Marotta 2 (8), McCarthy (2), Cardone (7); LOB-NJIT 4, Maine 13; 2B-Ostrander 2, Lugbauer, Cather, Mercurio, Patane, Jackson; 3B-Lukas; HR-Howard 2 (3); DP-Wyrwa-Tomczyk-McCarthy; Lukas-Menendez-Lugbauer; SF-Smith; SB-Howard (2), Patane (2)

New Jersey Tech IP H R ER BB SO

Wyrwa (L,0-5) 4 1/3 11 9 8 4 4

Melody 0 3 5 5 1 0

Ace 2 6 4 4 1 0

Hayes 1 2/3 1 1 0 1 0

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Jebb (W,2-1) 6 2 0 0 1 8

Cox 1 0 0 0 0 1

Latta 1 0 0 0 0 2

Balsinde 1 1 0 0 1 2

Melody faced five batters in the fifth

HBP-Schlitter (by Jebb); Howard (by Wyrwa), Smith (by Melody), Hasenfus (by Ace), Ostrander (by Hayes); WP-Melody; T-2:45; ATT-150