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The University of Maine baseball team has to be wondering what, exactly, it has to do to get a win after dropping three straight to the University of New Orleans Privateers in the Big Easy. The Black Bears led every game by a wide margin only to lose in the bottom of the ninth. They have lost four in a row and 13 of their last 14 games to fall to 5-15 with America East play beginning next weekend at Stony Brook.
The Black Bears scored 26 runs over the three games, but the Privateers’ bats were more than up to the task, belting 30 to best UMaine 10-8 Friday, 10-9 Saturday and 10-9 in 10 innings.
Yesterday, junior Curt Smith set the school record for triples by belting the 14th of his career, and also had a homerun in the game as the Black Bears jumped out to a 4-0 lead thanks to back-to-back dingers from Smith and senior captain Matt McGraw
But the Privateers dusted Nolan Boike in the home half of the fifth, scoring five runs to take the lead. UMaine was able to go ahead 9-6 headed into the bottom of the ninth, but a resilient New Orleans squad knotted the score 9-9.
The Black Bears were unable to go ahead in the 10th, with New Orleans plating the decisive run courtesy of a Drew Anderson RBI single.
Saturday was more of the same as UMaine fell by an identical score and led 6-1 after two innings. Kevin McAvoy led the way with four RBIs in the contest, including a three-run shot over the right field fence.
Junior Brad Hertzler allowed six runs, four of which came in the third inning, while striking out five. The Black Bears held an 8-6 lead heading into the eighth inning, when the Privateers managed to go ahead 9-8.
Brick Hackett plated the tying run the top of the ninth, but once again New Orleans got a run in the final frame to walk-off with the victory.
Friday night, the Black Bears jumped out to a 3-0 lead thanks to an RBI from Joel Barrett and a two-run single from Hacket. But starter Greg Norton faltered in the third as New Orleans scored five times to move ahead.
Norton allowed seven runs, though only two were earned as three errors cost the Black Bears the chance to win the game. New Orleans led 7-3 after five, and though UMaine managed to draw within striking distance at 7-5, the Privateers added three insurance runs to secure a 10-8 win.
Sophomore hitting machine Kevin McAvoy took on a new role in the game, pitching a third of an inning, and recording New Orleans’ final out of the game in the eighth.
Next weekend, the Black Bears face Stony Book four times beginning at 3 p.m. Friday, followed by a Saturday doubleheader and the series finale on Sunday.
Bangor Daily News