University of Maine interim baseball coach Nick Derba’s head coaching debut was spoiled by the Winthrop University Eagles on Friday.
Winthrop chased UMaine junior right-hander Justin Courtney after just four innings, scoring six times in the bottom of the first and cruising from there to a 12-5 victory in a mutual opener in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
The Black Bears got off to a good start with a two-out, two-run rally in the top of the opening frame, with Christopher Bec and John Bennett each driving in a run with base hits.
Danny Casals had doubled into the left field corner to start the uprising.
The Eagles came right back with six runs in the bottom of the inning, as Bangor native Courtney allowed the first three batters to reach before Babe Thomas cranked a two-run double to center.
A throwing error by Courtney on a chopper by Hunter Lipscomb allowed Winthrop to move ahead 4-2, while Matt Mulkey added a run-scoring triple.
The Eagles forced UMaine’s top pitcher into throwing 57 pitches in the first frame. Courtney gave up eight runs on six hits while walking four and striking out four.
The Black Bears got one back in the top of the third on an RBI base hit by Bennett, but the Eagles would counter with single runs in the bottom half of the inning and in the fourth.
UMaine would push across another in the fifth on a Jeremy Pena sacrifice fly, but again, Winthrop had an answer, accumulating three more runs to take an 11-4 advantage after five frames.
Bec drove in his second run of the day with a seventh-inning infield single. Bennett also finished the contest with a pair of runs driven in while leadoff man Tyler Schawnz doubled and singled and scored a pair of runs.
Thomas knocked in three runs for Winthrop.
