On April 26, 27 and 28, the University of Maine Baseball team competed against the Binghamton Bearcats in a series of three home games at the Mahaney Diamond Field.
UMaine won the first two games (4-3 and 9-3). The result of the third game was 21-4 in a UMaine loss to Binghamton. Despite the Sunday loss, Maine managed to salvage a series win to prepare for the playoffs in defense of their conference championship from one year prior.
Friday, April 26:
Third-year infielder Jeremiah Jenkins scored the first run of the series, when he hit a solo home run to right field in the first inning.
Binghamton first-baseman Andrew Tan started the second inning off with a walk. He advanced to second base after catcher Zach Rogacki hit a single to left field and took third on a walk by Binghamton infielder Mike Stellrecht. Tan scored on a second walk by outfielder Eric Madenberg. In the bottom half of the inning, UMaine secured its second run when third-year infielder Jake Marquez scored on a Run Batted In (RBI) single to center field by first-year infielder Jeph Hadsen-Taylor.
In the sixth, Stellrecht capitalized on a 2 run error by UMaine that ended up scoring Rogacki and Bade. In the bottom of sixth, Jenkins responded homering to right field, tying the game for UMaine.
In the ninth inning, UMaine secured the victory 4-3 when Marquez scored on an RBI sacrifice fly by Hadson-Taylor.
Saturday, April 27:
UMaine defeated Binghamton 9-3 in the second game.
Binghamton catcher Evin Sullivan singled to third base and scored the first run from an RBI double to right field by Rogacki in the second inning.
UMaine got on the board when second-year catcher Dean O’Neil hit a three-run homerun in the fourth inning, scoring infielders Will Burns and Jake Marquez.
Binghamton scored its second run when Madenburg hit an RBI infield single in the fifth inning.
UMaine secured another run in the sixth inning after Burns hit an RBI single to left field, allowing Jenkins to score as an unearned run.
In the seventh inning, Binghamton tacked on another run when second-baseman Nick Roselli scored on a sacrifice fly by third-baseman Devan Bade.
UMaine entered the eighth inning with a four-run lead. O’Neill hit an RBI single to right field and brought home Logan Burrill, a third-year outfielder. Marquez scored as Hadson-Taylor followed with a walk. Third-Year Outfielder Zach Martin was then hit by a pitch, scoring O’Neil. Colin Plante, a fourth-year outfielder, also scored from a wild pitch. Fifth-year Infielder Connor Goodman added on an RBI single to right field, bringing Hadson-Taylor to home plate.
Second-year UMaine Pitcher Luc Lavigueur (2-2) earned a season win. He allowed two runs on four hits, four walks and three strikeouts throughout five innings. Third-year pitcher Ryan Scott allowed one unearned run on two hits, one walk and two strikeouts in the four innings of relief pitching. The second victory created the potential for a weekend sweep.
Sunday, April 28:
The UMaine baseball team struggled on Sunday when they fell to Binghamton 21 to four two consecutive weekend wins.
In the first inning, Binghamton scored five unearned runs. The first by outfielder Tommy Reifler from a fly-out to center field by Bade, the second by Roselli and the third by Sullivan. The final two Binghamton runs of the first inning were scored by Stellrecht and first baseman Sam Haney, thanks to a center field single by utility man Todd Abraham.
Fourth-year UMaine pitcher Noah Lewis pitched for one and one-third innings and allowed 12 runs, seven earned, eight hits and five walks. Tyler Nielsen, another fourth-year player, pitched in the second inning. He allowed three runs on three hits and one walk in the two-thirds of the inning he was present.
Binghamton had 10 runs in the second inning by Roselli (two), Sullivan (two), Haney (one), shortstop Isaiah Corry (one), Bade (two), Abraham (one) and Reifler (one). O’Neil hit a double to left field at the bottom of the second inning to score Will Burns for UMaine’s first run.
First-year UMaine pitcher Owen Wheeler took to the mound at the start of the third inning. He allowed six runs on six hits, three walks and three strikeouts until he was relieved in the sixth inning. Binghamton scored two runs from Corry and Stellrecht on a right-side single by Reifler.
Binghamton had two runs in the fourth inning. Bade homered and Haney doubled, scoring Rogacki. Both of which were RBI.
In the fifth inning, Binghamton added its final two runs of the game when Sullivan homered to left field, scoring himself and Roselli.
First-year Player Gabe Gifford pitched for the last three innings. He allowed no runs on two hits, two walks and eight strikeouts. In the bottom half of the eighth inning, Jenkins ripped a two-run homerun to right field that scored Plante. It was Jenkins’ second big fly of the weekend.
Fourth-year Pitcher Marshall Smaracko allowed no runs on one walk and one strikeout. Neither team scored in the last inning. The results of the game were 21 to four points in a UMaine loss to Binghamton.
Despite the Sunday loss, Maine managed to salvage a series win to prepare for the playoffs in defense of their conference championship from one year ago.
