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The University of Maine baseball team, opening its America East schedule with a pair of doubleheaders against the Northeastern Huskies this weekend, swept Saturday’s double session, 6-4 and 3-2.
The Black Bears’ record now stands at 17-7, while the Northeastern Huskies fall to 12-8, 2-4 in conference play.
In the early game, the Black Bears flexed their muscles in a four-run fourth inning. Junior Brett Ouellette (2 for 4) broke a 1-1 tie with a two-run double off of NU starter Jordan Thompson. But Thompson (3-2) was not yet out of the inning. Junior Alain Picard, who went a combined 6 for 8 in the pair of games, ripped a two-run home run that gave the Black Bears a 5-1 lead.
NU would get no closer than in the bottom of the same inning when a Nick Graves three-run home run cut the Black Bear lead to 5-4.
UMaine starting pitcher Mike Collar’s (7 innings pitched, 4 runs on 11 hits) record now stands at 4-1 with the complete game victory.
In the second game, Black Bear sophomore staring pitcher Mike Macdonald would give his team a full seven innings in his outing. Macdonald only allowed two runs on five hits, striking out three.
The fourth inning would again be the time for the Black Bears to strike, with a pair of doubles by Picard and Joe Drapeau keying the offensive attack against Northeastern University starter Brendan Ryan. Drapeau, who went 2-4 in the game, drove in a run in each game on Saturday to push his total to 29 on the season. That ties him for the Black Bear team lead with senior co-captain Mike Ross.
The Huskies and Black Bears then traded solo home runs in the fifth and sixth with Picard hitting his third of the season and second in as many games for UMaine. Picard’s batting average now stands at .509, with 24 RBI and a team-leading 11 doubles.
