ORONO — Starting pitchers Kevin Scanlan and Matt Jebb demonstrated Saturday that they appear to be ready to help the University of Maine baseball team make a strong stretch run this season.
Scanlan pitched a four-hitter in an 11-2 opening-game victory and Matt Jebb followed with a six-hit shutout in a 2-0 win in a rain-shortened Game 2 (seven innings) as the Black Bears earned a key sweep of their America East dou-bleheader against Binghamton.
Coach Steve Trimper’s ballclub claimed its 30th victory of the season, improving to 30-19 overall and 11-7 in con-ference play heading into Sunday’s 1 p.m. doubleheader against the Bearcats at Mahaney Diamond.
“We needed good pitching,” Trimper said. “Talk about Scanlan and Jebb just going out there and settling in and mixing pitches and throwing strikes.
“They mixed speeds today,” he added. “They had changeups going, curveballs going. They pitched a little back-wards and kept them off-balance.”
In Saturday’s first game, Scanlan showed the form that made him a key member of the Bears’ starting rotation in 2008.
The sophomore lefthander limited Binghamton (23-17, 10-4 AE) to four hits, striking out four and walking three in his first league start since an April 12 game at Hartford.
“I felt better today and everybody played really good defense behind me,” said Scanlan (5-3), who was moved to the bullpen last month with the emergence of classmate Jonathan Balentina who is nursing a stiff arm this weekend.
Scanlan commanded his fastball, curveball and changeup and showed off excellent location while inducing 12 ground-ball outs. That was especially important with the wind blowing out to right field.
“You’ve just got to keep the ball low,” Scanlan said. “I could throw it anywhere I wanted today.”
UMaine’s five seniors were honored before the game and they responded in kind.
Billy Cather pounded a two-run, opposite-field double off starter Jeff Dennis (4-4) to spark the Bears’ four-run sec-ond inning, then crushed a three-run home run to right-center in UMaine’s three-run fourth against reliever Alex Adami.
“This was huge. I really wanted to do it for my parents who are here,” Cather said. “This is one of the last times they’re going to see me play here and it was really special to have a good day out there.”
Senior Kevin McAvoy of Brewer tripled in the fourth and belted a two-run homer in the sixth as UMaine scored four times.
Senior Danny Menendez doubled and singled and Myckie Lugbauer added two singles among 12 UMaine hits.
“I’m proud to be on this team,” McAvoy said. “We faced a lot of adversity last weekend with injuries and the way we played (0-4 at Albany). We came back [Saturday] and we played great baseball.”
Dave Ciocchi singled twice for Binghamton, while Jeff Abrams jacked a solo home run.
In the nightcap, sophomore Jebb responded to a shaky start at Albany a week earlier by dominating the Bear-cats.
The big righthander had a nasty changeup and commanded his fastball and curve. He was ahead in the count all night long.
“I checked my pitching chart and I was 20-for-25 on getting first-pitch strikes,” Jebb said. “I threw 62 strikes out of 86 pitches, so I can’t complain about that day.”
The contest included a 35-minute rain delay prior to the sixth inning and a 13-minute stoppage after the seventh before the umpires called the game with the rain again pouring down.
Jebb (7-3) struck out two and walked one and didn’t allow the Bearcats to string hits together and was supported by another superb defensive performance by his teammates.
He and the Bears bounced back after a rain delay that included a fireworks display.
“That’s always hard as a pitcher, you get cold,” Jebb said. I brought out a heat pack. I really just tried to bear down. I got out there and threw and I felt fine, which was surprising to me, but it was fun.”
UMaine played errorless ball in the doubleheader, which included a tantalizing and timely 4-6-3 double play in the sixth inning with the hosts clinging to a 2-0 lead.
Henry Dunn led off with a single. One out later, Kyle Klee hit a hard grounder toward the middle.
Second baseman Menendez made a lunging stop going to his right and, while falling down, shoveled the ball with his glove to shortstop Tony Patane, who completed the double play with the relay to first base.
“The defense was top-notch,” McAvoy said. “We’re definitely a playoff team right now and we’re playing like it, so I’m excited for the games [Sunday] and to finish up with Stony Brook and to see how far this team can go.”
UMaine scored the only run it would need when leadoff batter Ian Leisenheimer mashed a 2-0 offering from Binghamton ace Murphy Smith (7-2) over the left-field fence. The shot cleared the visitors’ bleachers at adjacent Morse Field.
The Bears scored again in the fourth when McAvoy lined an opposite-field single to right and Lugbauer pounded a single to center. With a 3-2 count to Justin Leisenheimer, the runners executed a double steal as Leisenheimer struck out.
Catcher C.J. Lukaszewski’s throw to second sailed wide, allowing McAvoy to score.
McAvoy led UMaine with two singles. Ciocchi doubled for the Bearcats.
“We just have to come out [Sunday], play the same way we did [Saturday],” McAvoy said. “We’re having fun right now, playing well.”
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