ORONO, Maine — Tyler Schwanz drove in four runs with a home run and two singles on Sunday afternoon, sparking the University of Maine to a 10-7 victory over Maryland Baltimore County in the first game of an America East baseball doubleheader at Mahaney Diamond.
UMBC bounced back to take the second game 9-6.
In Game 1, Schwanz paced a 12-hit attack as the Black Bears (17-24, 4-10 AE) prevailed.
Schwanz cranked a two-run home run in the fourth inning, had an RBI single in the sixth and added an RBI on a grounder in the seventh. Hernen Sardinas provided three singles and two RBIs for UMaine, while Jeremy Pena stroked two doubles with an RBI and Caleb Kerbs added two singles and knocked in a run.
Freshman Cody Laweryson of Bingham (4-1) earned the win in relief, working 1 1/3 innings of hitless ball with one strikeout and one walk. Jeff Gelinas of Saco pitched a scoreless ninth for his fifth save.
Starter Justin Courtney of Bangor lasted 5 2/3 innings and allowed eight hits and six runs (four earned) with four strikeouts and three walks.
Jamie Switalski (RBI) tripled and doubled to lead the Retrievers (18-19, 10-7 AE), while Christian Torres (double) and Raven Beeman each chipped in with two hits. Hunter Dolshun drilled a solo homer.
Reliever Joe Vanderplas (3-4) was touched up for four hits and four runs (three earned) in only one inning and took the loss.
UMBC led 7-4 when UMaine rallied four four runs in the bottom of the seventh. Sardinas ignited the inning with a single, advanced on a wild pitch by Vanderplas and scored on Kerbs’ single to right.
Corey Pasic pushed Kerbs to second with a sacrifice bunt and Pena followed with a run-scoring double down the line in left. Cory Callahan came on to relieve Vanderplas and go the first out, but an error on a Schwanz grounder to third base allowed the eventual winning run to score.
In Game 2, the Retrievers erased a two-run deficit by scoring five times in the sixth inning to grab the upper hand.
Andrew Cassali tripled and singled for the winners, who received two RBIs each from A.J. Wright (double) and Torres (home run). Mitchell Wilson limited the Black Bears to one run and one hit in 3 2/3 innings of relief to pick up the win on the mound.
Pena doubled and singled with an RBI among seven hits for UMaine. Kerbs singled and drove in two runs.
Laweryson (4-2) suffered the loss, giving up two hits and two runs in one-third of an inning of relief.
UMaine starter Nick Silva was lifted after surrendering three runs on two hits and five walks in 2 2/3 innings.
The key blows for UMBC in the pivotal sixth inning were Wright’s two-run double, RBI doubles by Switalski and Dolshun and Dalton Stewart’s run-scoring single.