The University of Maine baseball team split a nonconference doubleheader with Manhattan College at Mahaney Diamond on Friday evening.
The Black Bears took game one 3-1 behind the pitching of Bangor native Justin Courtney, while the Jaspers came back to earn a split with a 6-4 victory.
UMaine is now 10-17 on the season while Manhattan is 7-13.
In game one, Courtney was strong on the mound for UMaine, allowing just one run on seven hits in picking up his third victory of the spring (3-3).
Courtney walked only one man while striking out five.
UMaine got on the board in the fourth, with Christopher Bec scoring on a Tyler Schwanz groundout.
The Jaspers would get their only run a half-inning later on an RBI single by Brandon Bissett.
UMaine would answer with single runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
Schwanz picked up his second RBI of the contest by reaching on an error, which allowed Jeremy Pena to score.
The Bears would give Courtney some insurance on Hernen Sardinas’ seventh-inning sacrifice fly.
Bec was UMaine’s lone repeat hitter in the opening game, with two singles and a double and a run scored.
In game two, Manhattan jumped out to an early 3-0 lead thanks to a two-run second inning and a single run in the following frame.
Matt Forlow’s two-run triple in the second was the big blow.
The Bears bounced back with a four-run uprising in the last of the fourth.
Cody Pasic drove in the first run with a double, while Colin Ridley followed that up with an RBI single.
After a Schwanz RBI groundout, Jonathan Bennett gave UMaine its first lead with an RBI double.
Bennett and Pasic’s doubles were UMaine’s lone extra-base hits of the second contest.
The Jaspers would get two back to jump back on top in the top of the sixth. Mike Pfenninger drove in a run with a triple and Brandon Bisset another with a single to put Manhattan up 5-4.
Manhattan obtained some insurance on Michael Pfenninger’s RBI single in the top of the seventh.
The Black Bears were retired in order in their half of the seventh to finish the game. Connor Johnson took the loss in relief.
The teams will resume their series on Saturday with a noon doubleheader.
