BROOKLINE, Mass. – Thirty games into its season, the University of Maine baseball team finally returns to play ball at home.

The Black Bears are hoping the familiar surroundings at Mahaney Diamond will help them turn things around in time to make the America East playoffs.

Maine’s struggles continued Saturday as Northeastern swept a doubleheader at sunny Friedman Diamond. The Huskies eked out a 9-8 victory in the first game, then posted a 6-3 decision in the finale.

In dropping three of four games against Northeastern, coach Paul Kostacopoulos’ Bears slipped to 11-19, 3-9 in conference play. The Huskies improved to 13-10 overall and 9-3 in America East.

Maine senior Keith Croteau had envisioned a more promising scenario heading into last month of the season.

“I didn’t think we’d be 3-9 right now, that’s for sure,” Croteau said. “Obviously, our game hasn’t come together, so when you’re playing those good teams, that’s going to hurt you. Hopefully we can turn it around and get something done.”

Maine played errorless defense Saturday, but was short on pitching in the opener and lacked plate punch in the nightcap. The Bears have been inconsistent against the league’s best teams. As a result, the pressure continues to build.

“We’re definitely a good enough team to get on a roll and win a bunch of games in conference,” Croteau said. “It seems like if we pitch well we’re not hitting and if we hit well, then we’re having trouble making pitches, getting big people out.”

Maine exhibited its resilience in the opener, erasing a 7-1 deficit. Brandon Brewer blasted his first collegiate home run, a 400-foot shot to left-center, sparking the Bears’ three-run fourth inning.

Kregg Jarvais and Julian Bracali stroked RBI doubles during the uprising.

Maine chased NU starter Tim Bonehill in the fifth behind run-scoring singles by Croteau and Tony Fernandez and a two-run single by Bracali that gave the Bears an 8-7 lead.

“This team never quits,” Kostacopoulos said. “We overcome ourselves. We battle. We work. Unfortunately, we dig ourselves too big a hole and good teams don’t do that.”

However, Maine left the bases loaded when Greg Montalbano came on to strike out Gabe Memmert.

Northeastern quickly regained the lead, chasing reliever Jason Hall with Matt Keating’s one-out double to left-center. Rick Hewey came on to walk Joe Paolucci, then surrendered an RBI single to Kevin Kim and Greg Scott’s go-ahead sacrifice fly.

“Our big problem is we don’t pitch well in the clutch,” Kostacopoulos said.

Rex Turner and Brian Poire opened the sixth with singles, but Montalbano fanned the next three batters to snuff out the threat.

Maine outhit Northeastern 14-9, with Bracali registering two doubles and a single and Poire three singles. Tim Daley hit a triple and two singles for the winners, while Kim provided a two-run homer and a single.

The hosts jumped out to a 5-0 lead against starter Jim Bailin, who walked four in 1 1/3 innings. Mike Lomuscio’s two-run double in the second was a big blow.

“It just came from the mound. You can’t walk that many people,” Kostacopoulos said.

In the second game, the Huskies roughed up Maine starter Jon Dickinson for six runs on seven hits in the third and fourth innings en route to victory.

Eight of NU’s nine starters recorded a hit, with Paolucci providing two, including a solo homer in the fourth. Maine reliever Tom Morelli held the Huskies to three singles in the last 2 2/3 innings.

Chad Brazee, the third of four Northeastern lefthanders the Bears faced, scattered six hits while striking out eight and walking only one. Turner’s solo homer in the second inning was the only hit by Maine’s top six batters.

The Bears scored twice in the fifth. Fernandez was hit by a pitch, Chris Domurat singled and Ron Coombs singled, loading the bases.

Croteau punched a two-run single past first base with nobody out, but Brazee retired Bracali, T.J. Sheedy and Memmert, Maine’s Nos. 1-3 hitters in the order, to minimize the damage.

Huskies 9, Black Bears 8

(Saturday’s First Game)

Maine Northeastern

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Bracali, dh 5 1 3 3 Lewis, cf 3 1 1 1

Sheedy, cf 5 0 2 1 Lomuscio, 2b 4 2 1 2

Memmert, 1b 4 0 0 0 Pena, 1b 3 0 0 0

Turner, lf 4 1 2 0 Daley, rf 4 0 3 1

Poire, 3b-2b 4 1 3 0 Korchin, lf 4 0 0 1

Brewer, rf 2 2 1 1 Keating, 3b 3 1 1 0

Croteau,2b-ss 3 2 1 1 Paolucci, dh 1 2 1 0

Jarvais, c 4 1 1 1 Kim, ss 2 2 2 3

Harvie, ss 1 0 0 0 Scott, c 2 1 0 1

Pantazis, ss 1 0 0 0

Frnandz,ss-3b 2 0 1 1

Totals 35 8 14 8 Totals 26 9 9 9

Maine 001 340 0 – 8

Northeastern 142 020 x – 9

E – Korchin 2B – Bracali 2, Sheedy, Lomuscio, Keating, Paolucci 3B – Daley HR – Brewer (1), Kim (3) LOB – Maine 9, NU 5 SB – Turner, Poire S – Turner, Poire SF – Scott

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Maine

Bailin 1 1/3 3 5 5 4 0

Hall 3 4 3 3 0 3

Hewey (L,1-4) 1 2/3 2 1 1 1 1

Northeastern

Bonehill 4 2/3 12 8 8 2 3

Montalbano(W,1-0) 2 1/3 2 0 0 0 4

HBP – Brewer by Bonehill PB – Scott TIME – 2:20 ATTENDANCE – 189

Huskies 6, Black Bears 3

(Saturday’s Second Game)

Maine (11-19) Northeastern (13-10)

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Bracali, dh 4 0 0 0 Lewis, cf 3 2 1 0

Sheedy, cf 3 0 0 0 Lomuscio, 2b 3 1 1 0

Memmert, 1b 3 0 0 0 Pena, 1b 4 1 1 1

Turner, lf 3 1 1 1 Daley, rf 4 1 2 1

Poire, 2b 3 0 0 0 Keating, 3b 2 0 0 0

Fernandez, 3b 1 1 0 0 Kim, ss 3 0 1 1

Halsted, 3b 1 0 0 0 Korchin, lf 3 0 1 0

Domurat, c 2 1 1 0 Paolucci, dh 3 1 2 1

Jarvais, c 0 0 0 0 Scott, c 3 0 1 0

Brewer, c 1 0 0 0

Coombs, rf 3 0 2 0

Croteau, ss 3 0 3 2

Totals 27 3 7 3 Totals 28 6 10 4

Maine 010 020 0 – 3

Northeastern 002 400 x – 6

2B – Croteau, Pena, Kim HR – Turner (2), Paolucci (1) LOB – Maine 4, NU 7 DP – NU 1 SB – Lomuscio

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Maine

Dickinson, L (1-1) 3 1/3 7 5 5 3 2

Morelli 2 2/3 3 1 1 0 2

Northeastern

Brazee, W (2-2) 7 7 3 3 0 6

HBP – Fernandez by Brazee WP – Morelli 2 TIME – 2:00 ATTENDANCE – 234