Bears split pair against UMBC Retrievers find bats in Game 2

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BALTIMORE – The University of Maryland Baltimore County scored 14 runs in the fifth inning of the second game Friday, helping the Retrievers earn a split of their America East baseball doubleheader against the University of Maine at The Baseball Factory Field.

UMaine opened the series with a 6-3 victory, but UMBC responded with a 21-8 drubbing of the Black Bears in Game 2.

UMaine (13-17-1, 2-4 AE) and UMBC (10-21, 2-7 AE) play nine-inning games tonight at 7 and Sunday at 1 p.m.

In the opener, freshman Kevin Scanlan (2-2) scattered 11 hits through 6 2/3 innings to earn his second straight victory.

The lefthander struck out six and did not walk a batter before giving way to Justin Latta, who recorded the final out.

Scanlan, who had been pitching the second game of each weekend series, started the opener after Joe Miller, UMaine’s No. 1 starter, did not make the trip after he was diagnosed with mononucleosis.

The Bears backed Scanlan with 13 hits, including three singles and an RBI by Billy Cather and two singles and an RBI each from Myckie Lugbauer and Tony Patane.

Having been held in check by UMBC lefthander Ed Bach, UMaine extended its 1-0 lead with a three-run rally in the sixth.

Curt Smith led off with a triple to center field and scored on Lugbauer’s infield single. Kevin McAvoy of Brewer followed with an infield hit.

Patane laid down a bunt that was ruled a single and all three runners moved up on a throwing error by the pitcher. Jarrett Lukas of Old Town followed with a sacrifice fly.

Aided by an error, the Bears tacked on two runs in the seventh on an RBI single by Danny Menendez and McAvoy’s run-producing groundout.

Scott Peddicord and Joe Fowler paced UMBC with two hits and an RBI each.

In Game 2, the hosts broke a 7-7 deadlock in the decisive fifth inning, beating up on the Bears’ bullpen. UMBC sent 19 batters to the plate in the inning.

Bears freshman starter Kyle Benoit was ineffective, giving up six hits and six runs (three earned) with two walks in 1 2/3 innings. The bullpen fared no better as Jonathan Balentina (0-2), Latta and Ryan Forrest took turns trying to keep UMaine close.

The Retrievers amassed 18 hits, including nine for extra bases, in the contest.

Fowler paced UMBC with a three-run home run and an RBI single in the fifth to which he added two singles and two more RBIs. Wink Nolan (3-for-5) stroked a three-run triple and a run-scoring single in the pivotal fifth, while Brad Brainer poked an RBI double and a two-run single in the onslaught.

Cather led the UMaine offense with a double, two singles and three runs scored. Lugbauer stroked a solo homer and an RBI double, and Lukas also posted a solo homer and a double among the Bears’ 10 hits.

One bright spot for UMaine was the relief work of sophomore Kevin Jackson. In his collegiate pitching debut, the stocky lefty limited UMBC to two hits while striking out two in 1 2/3 innings.

Will Delawter (2-3) earned the win despite giving up nine hits and seven runs in five innings.

BLACK BEARS 6, RETRIEVERS 3

(First Game)

Maine UMBC

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Cather, cf 3 1 3 1 Brainer, 2b 4 1 0

Menendez, 2b 4 0 1 1 Peddicord, rf 4 1 1

Smith, 1b 4 1 1 0 Fowler, lf 4 0 1

Lugbauer, dh 3 1 2 1 Delawter, dh 3 0 0

McAvoy, rf 4 1 1 1 Meaney, c 3 0 0

Patane, ss 3 0 2 1 Nolan, cf 3 0 0

Martin, 1b 1 0 0 0 Retz, 1b 3 1 0

Lukas, 3b 2 0 1 1 Russo, 3b 3 0 0

Mercurio, c 3 1 1 0 Conlon, ss 1 0 0

Howard, lf 2 1 1 0 Hart, ph 1 0 0

Totals 29 6 13 6 Totals 29 3 11 2

Maine 000 013 2 – 6

Maryland Baltimore County 000 001 2 – 3

E-Menendez (6), Patane (8); Russo (7), Bach (1); LOB-Maine 6, UMBC 6; 2B-Peddicord, Retz, Russo; 3B-Smith; DP-Maine 1, UMBC 2; S-Cather, Howard; Conlon; SF-Lukas

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Scanlan (W, 2-2) 6 2/3 11 3 2 0 6

Latta 1/3 0 0 0 0 0

UMBC IP H R ER BB SO

Bach (L, 2-5) 7 13 6 3 0 3

HBP-Lugbauer (by Bach); WP-Bach; PB-Meaney; T-2:05

RETRIEVERS 21, BLACK BEARS 8

(Second Game)

Maine (13-17-1) UMBC (11-21)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Cather, cf 4 3 3 1 Brainer, 2b 5 2 3

Menendez, 2b 3 1 1 1 Peddicord, rf 3 3 0

Smith, dh 3 0 0 1 Fowler, lf 5 3 6

Lugbauer, 1b 4 1 2 2 Delawter, p 4 1 3

McAvoy, rf 3 0 0 0 Retz, 1b 4 2 1

Martin, ph 0 0 0 1 Meaney, c 1 2 0

Patane, ss 4 1 1 0 Warrenfeltz, c 1 0 0

Lukas, 3b 4 1 2 1 Russo, 3b 5 2 2

Mercurio, c 3 0 1 1 Nolan, cf 5 4 5

Howard, lf 2 1 0 0 Conlon, ss 4 2 1

Totals 30 8 10 8 Totals 37 21 18 21

Maine 230 021 0 – 8

Maryland Baltimore County 331 0(14)0 x – 21

E-Lukas (5), Benoit (2); Delawter (1), Meaney (4), Conlon (13); LOB-Maine 7, UMBC 6; 2B-Cather, Menendez, Lugbauer, Lukas; Brainer, Peddicord, Delawter 2, Retz, Conlon; 3B-Nolan; HR-Lugbauer (3), Lukas (4); Fowler (4), Nolan (2); DP-Maine 1, UMBC 1; S-Menendez; SF-Mercurio; SB-Cather (12)

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Benoit 1 2/3 6 6 3 2 1

Balentina (L, 0-2) 2 1/3 2 3 3 1 3

Latta 0 3 5 4 1 0

Forrest 1/3 5 7 6 2 0

Jackson 1 2/3 2 0 0 1 2

UMBC IP H R ER BB SO

Delawter (W, 2-3) 5 9 7 6 1 3

Morse 1 1 1 1 1 0

Sams 1 0 0 0 0 0

Latta pitched to five batters in the fifth

HBP-Howard (by Delawter), Smith (by Morse); Meaney (by Forrest); WP-Forrest 2; Delawter, Morse; T-2:50; ATT-133