The University of Maine baseball team managed a mere five runs on 21 hits while losing four games to Northeastern University’s Huskies in Boston last season (2-1, 6-1, 4-1, 4-2).

That was before the betting scandal resulted in the suspension of 13 players.

The Bears will seek to avenge those losses when they play host to the Huskies this weekend.

Maine, 17-18 overall and 12-2 in the NAC, and Northeastern, 7-9 (6-7 in NAC), will play Saturday-Sunday doubleheaders at Mahaney Diamond in Orono. Saturday’s pair will begin at 12:30 and Sunday’s two will start at noon.

The four pitchers who stymied the Bears a year ago – Steve Leonard, Ralph Barone, Bill Hartnett, and John O’Brien – are all back and expected to pitch this weekend.

“They’re definitely our biggest rival in the NAC,” said Maine senior second baseman Todd Livingston.

“They always play us tough,” agreed senior catcher Shawn Tobin. “They embarrassed us last year, so there will be added incentive.”

“We owe them this year,” said Livingston.

“They’ve consistently played us the toughest of any team in the NAC since I’ve been here. It doesn’t matter how they had been playing prior to our series. They always play well against us,” said senior shortstop Shanan Knox. “Of all the teams in the conference, they’re the team I hate to lose to the most. They’re scrappy and when they get ahead, they let you know it.”

Fourteen of the last 24 games between the two have been decided by two runs or less. Maine holds a 13-11 edge in those games.

If the Huskies are to shut down the Bears again this year, they will have to do so against a team with six players in hitting grooves: Tobin is hitting .408 over his last 15 games, first baseman Gabe Duross is at .423 over his last seven, Knox is hitting .375 in his last 13 games, center fielder Chad White is at .455 over his last 11, right fielder Glen Stupienski is hitting .413 over his last 21 games, and DH Steve Puleo has six hits in his last 15 at-bats (.400).