ORONO, Maine — Caleb Kerbs and Jeremy Pena each hit a sacrifice fly during a four-run eighth inning on Wednesday afternoon, helping the University of Maine post an 8-4 baseball victory over Thomas College at Mahaney Diamond.
Thomas (10-11), which plays in the Division III North Atlantic Conference, had scored three unanswered runs to make it 4-4. However, the Division I Black Bears (8-22) took advantage of three Terrier errors in the decisive inning.
It was the third straight win for UMaine, which received a double and a single each from Brett Chappell (2 RBIs) and Colin Ridley (RBI), along with two singles from Brenden Geary (RBI).
Sophomore left-hander Connor Johnson (2-2) earned the win by pitching a hitless eighth inning with one strikeout. Freshman Nick Silva, the last of five Black Bear pitchers, worked a perfect ninth with a strikeout.
Nik Beeson (RBI) and Anree Benitez each registered two hits for Thomas to support relief loser Payton Kennison (0-1), who allowed two hits and four runs (2 earned) with a walk in the eighth.
Derek Kane and Aron Smestad each stroked a double for the Terriers.
Tyler Schwanz sparked UMaine’s winning rally with a single to left field, then raced to third on Geary’s single to right and scored when the relay throw got away.
Chappell reached on an error, sending Geary to third. He scored on a fielder’s choice grounder to second base and a subsequent error. Kerbs plated the third run with a sac fly and Pena hit one of his own.
Thomas took a 1-0 lead in the first when Benitez singled, stole second and scored on Zach Mathieu’s fielder’s choice. UMaine tallied two in the first behind a run-scoring double by Ridley and Geary’s RBI single.
The Black Bears made it 4-1 in the third on Chappell’s two-run double, but the Terriers scored on Tristan Pena’s infield hit in the sixth, then tied it with two in the seventh.
Benitez singled and Kane doubled before Mathieu hit a run-scoring fielder’s choice and, after an error, Beeson grounded into a run-producing double play.
The Black Bears are back in action on Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader to kick off a three-game America East series against Maryland Baltimore County.