Sports

Baseball sweeps Delaware in four

Bears get best start since 2001, prepare for UNLV road series

By Adam Clark

Posted on Feb. 28, 2008, at 12:00 a.m.

Last Wednesday afternoon, baseball was the furthest thing from most people’s minds as temperatures hovered around the freezing mark and snow covered most of the surface at the Mahaney Diamond.

Sitting in his office in the Mahaney Clubhouse, University of Maine Head Coach Steve Trimper was preparing for the spring trip that would to begin over the weekend.

“Our offense should be our strength,” said Trimper. “Our lineup 1-9 is strong [and] a little different from past years. We have a solid bench giving us some depth.”

Coach Trimper’s assessment was a slight understatement.

After scoring 46 runs on 49 hits, including nine home runs, in a four-game sweep of Delaware State, the University of Maine (4-0) matched its best start since 2001. They resume action over the weekend when they play a three-game set at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Even though the four-game series was packed into two days because of inclement weather, the Black Bears did not skip a beat. After rallying in the top of the seventh inning to defeat the Hornets 8-7 in the season opener, UMaine put away the Hornets early in the last three games of the series, scoring in double-digits in all three: 11-2, 16-7 and 11-3.

“That first game, it was a great game that we persevered,” Trimper told Clear Channel Radio. “They’re [Delaware State] a good ballclub. I think it was a good team for us to play.”

In the four games, the Black Bears were led by fourth-year Curt Smith with .714, 4 home runs, 8 runs batted in and reigning America East Rookie of the Year Myckie Lugbauer with .571, 1 HR, 8 RBI. In addition to the 3-4 hitters in the UMaine lineup, first-year infielder Jarrett Lukas (.333, 1 HR, 6 RBI) and redshirt first-year outfielder Matt Howard (.333, 1 HR) provided some offense off the bench. Pitchers Matt Jebb, Joe Miller, A.J. Balsinde and Justin Latta picked up the wins for the Black Bears.

While UMaine started off the season with four quality wins on the road, this weekend’s trip to Las Vegas should be a better gauge of where the team stands. They face a UNLV Rebels squad that is coming off a disappointing 24-36 season (10-14 in the Mountain West Conference) but is only a few years removed from three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament from 2003-2005.

“It’s good to play against good competition and see where we stand,” Balsinde said of the Rebels (2-1), who play perennial powerhouse Arizona, California State Fullerton and UCLA in other non-conference games this season.

Led by third-year catcher Michael Brenly (.278, 3 HR, 33 RBI), third-year infielder Xavier Scruggs (.289, 9 HR, 36 RBI) and third-year pitcher Marc Baca (4-3, 3.51 earned run average, 5 saves), UNLV’s season will also rely on the development of their youth with newcomers comprising over half of their roster.

“They are a very good ball club,” Trimper said. “They play in a tough conference and play some great competition.”

While Head Coach Buddy Gouldsmith lost a significant portion of his team to graduation in 2007, the offense remains a strength for UNLV and is aided by playing at Earl E. Wilson Stadium, which sits 2,030 feet above sea level.

“It’s a bandbox of a place,” Trimper said of UNLV’s stadium. “The ball jumps out there in the desert.”

With a tough non-conference schedule, playing top competition on the road doesn’t intimidate UMaine.

“It’s not like we’re just going out there to try to compete with them,” said Trimper. “We are going to go out there and try to take three games from UNLV.”

The three-game series begins on Friday night with the first pitch set for 9:30 p.m.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 28th, 2008, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.