WINTER PARK, Fla. — Barry Keiffer and Justin Latta combined to pitch five innings of shutout relief Tuesday afternoon, helping the University of Maine hold on for an 11-8 baseball victory over Rollins College during the Rollins College Baseball Week tournament at Alfond Stadium.
Keiffer, a senior lefthander, worked 3¤ innings of no-hit ball to earn the win. Latta, a senior righty, pitched 1ª innings and gave up two hits, to record the save.
Coach Steve Trimper’s 6-6 Black Bears have now won four straight. UMaine plays Georgetown today at 6 p.m.
Ian Leisenheimer led a 14-hit attack for UMaine with a home run, a double and three RBIs. Joey Martin of Portland singled three times, Mike Fransoso doubled and singled and Justin Leisenheimer homered and doubled, with each knocking in two runs.
Tony Patane singled twice while Joe Mercurio and Kyle Stilphen of Pittston each homered for the Bears, who racked up 14 hits.
Tony Brunetti paced Rollins (14-7) with a double, three singles and four RBIs. Joey Manning posted three singles among the Tars’ 11 hits.
UMaine took the league for good with four runs in the third inning off Rollins starter Danny Clark (1-1). Fransoso led off with a double and Mercurio reached on an error before Martin stroked an RBI single to left.
Ian Leisenheimer followed with a three-run homer to left that gave the Bears a 6-5 edge.
UMaine jumped in front 2-0 in the first on Fransoso’s double and a two-run home run by Mercurio. The Tars countered with three in the bottom of inning off Bears starter Keith Bilodeau,
Rollins extended the lead to 5-2 in the second on Brunetti’s two-run single, but UMaine responded with four in the third and then scored two in the fourth and one in the fifth.
Justin Leisenheimer led off the fourth with a double and scored on a double by Patane, who later scored on Martin’s fielder’s choice.
In the fifth, Taylor Lewis opened with a single and eventually scored with the aid of two errors.
Rollins chased Bilodeau in the fifth on Ryan Luker’s three-run homer.
Justin Leisenheimer and Stilphen hit solo shots in the seventh and ninth innings, respectively.
Lewis, who went into Tuesday’s game having gone 10-for-10 while reaching base in 12 consecutive at-bats, had his streak ended at 13. He reached on a fielder’s choice in the first inning, but struck out swinging in the third.