WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Myckie Lugbauer walked to start the fourth inning and eventually scored, then delivered a two-run single to cap the seven-run rally that carried the University of Maine to a 10-7 baseball victory over 25th-ranked Ohio State at Chain O’ Lakes Park on Saturday evening.
Alejandro Balsinde and Kevin Scanlan combined to work three innings of one-run relief to help coach Steve Trimper’s Black Bears (5-5) claim their fourth win in the last five games.
Junior righthander Joe Miller earned his first win of the season, spreading out 11 hits and six earned runs with five strikeouts and four walks in six innings.
Balsinde came up clutch on the mound, relieving Miller with two on and nobody out in the seventh. Balsinde erased a runner at third on an attempted sacrifice bunt to begin his stint, that retired the next two batters to escape the jam.
Justin Leisenheimer paced the UMaine offense with two doubles and three RBIs, while Tony Patane singled three times with an RBI. George Tager doubled, singled and scored three runs while Billy Cather posted two singles and an RBI. Lugbauer also singled among the Bears’ 13 hits.
Matt Streng tripled and singled with one RBI to pace Ohio State, which also collected 13 hits.
The Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference scored four times in the third inning and led 5-1 going into the bottom of the fourth, when the Bears pounced.
Lugbauer drew a leadoff walk, then Kevin McAvoy and Jarrett Lukas both were hit by a pitch. Joe Mercurio brought in the first run with a sacrifice fly, before Patane stroked a run-scoring single to left field and Tager rapped an RBI double to right off loser Dean Wolosiansky (0-1).
Danny Menendez pushed a run across with an infield single, then reliever Theron Minium walked Cather. Lesenheimer grounded out to score a run, setting up Lugbauer’s eventual game-winning, two-run single.
UMaine added two insurance runs in the eighth when Patane singled, Tager walked and both advanced on Menendez’s sacrifice bunt. Cather was walked intentionally and Leisenheimer followed with a two-run single to left.
The Bears return to action today with an 11 a.m. doubleheader against Pennsylvania at Winter Park, Fla.