UMBC

Tom Rinaldi went 4-for-5 with two doubles and three runs scored on Senior Day.

Baltimore-The UMBC baseball team (13-39, 4-19 America East) split a doubleheader with America East rival Stony Brook (30-22, 15-7 America East) Saturday afternoon at the Baseball Factory Field at UMBC. The Seawolves won the first game, 8-7, in eight innings, but the Retrievers took game two, 7-3.

Stony Brook took a 1-0 lead in game one when center fielder Brian Witkowski hit a leadoff home run, but the Retrievers scored twice in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double by left fielder Joe Fowler and an RBI ground-out by designated hitter Will Delawter.

UMBC broke the game open with four runs on four hits, a walk and an error in the third. All four runs scored with two outs, as second baseman Steve Russo drove in a run with an infield single, followed by an RBI double by catcher Tom Rinaldi and a run-scoring single by third baseman Mark Lemon. The final run crossed the plate when right fielder Isaac Friedel reached on an error, making the scored 6-1.

The Seawolves loaded the bases in the top of the fourth but only scored once on an RBI fielder’s choice by shortstop Keith Fier. The Retrievers got the run back in the bottom of the inning on Fowler’s leadoff homer, but Stony Brook again scored a single run in the top of the fifth on a two-out home run by right fielder Rob Leonard.

UMBC took a 7-3 lead into the seventh inning. With one out, Stony Brook second baseman Chris Sipp walked and designated hitter Mike Stephan singled before Leonard hit his second home run of the day to pull the Seawolves to within run. UMBC starting pitcher Bo Sauter induced a groundout for the second out of the inning, but third baseman Chris Cruz tied the game with a round-tripper of his own.

The Retrievers went down in order in the bottom of the seventh, and Stony Brook scored an unearned run on a passed ball in the top of the eighth for the 8-7 victory.

Sean Rae (0-4) suffered the loss for the Retrievers after allowing one unearned run on two hits in one inning of work. Sauter gave up seven runs on 10 hits and two walks while striking out three in seven innings.

Marc Brown (2-1) picked up the victory for Stony Brook after pitching three hitless innings in relief and striking out two. Stony Brook starter Gary Navakowski allowed seven runs (four earned) on nine hits and two walks while striking out five in five innings of work.

Rinaldi and Fowler each had two hits for UMBC, and Fowler scored twice and drove in two runs. Stephan led the Seawolves with three hits, while Leonard was 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored.

The Retrievers scored three runs in the top of the first of game two. Center fielder Mike Scheffel and Fowler led off the game with back-to-back doubles, and with one out, Delawter singled up the middle for the second run. Right fielder Scott Peddicord then doubled down the right field line, advanced to third on an infield single by Russo and scored on a wild pitch.

The Seawolves got on the board for the first time in the top of the third on a sacrifice fly by Sipp, but the Retrievers scored twice in the bottom of the inning on a wild pitch and an RBI fielder’s choice for a 5-1 lead.

UMBC added a run in the fifth when Rinaldi doubled with one out, advanced to third on Peddicord’s single and scored on a fielder’s choice by Russo.

But Leonard hit his third home run of the day, a two-run shot to center, in the top of the sixth, to make the score 6-3. But the Retrievers added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning when Lemon led off with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored when Scheffel singled up the middle for the 7-3 lead.

UMBC starter Matt Buccholz (1-3) retired the Seawolves in order in the top of the seventh to pick up his first victory of the season. He allowed three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five in the seven-inning complete game.

Stony Brook starter Kurt Jung (7-4) also went the distance in the loss, as he gave up seven runs on 12 hits and two walks while striking out three.

Scheffel, Rinaldi, Peddicord and Lemon all had two hits for UMBC, while Sipp was the only Seawolf with multiple hits in the contest.

Before the game, the Retrievers honored seniors Bowen, Buccholz, Friedel, Gale, Rinaldi, Sauter and Scheffel in a Senior Day ceremony.

The teams wrap up the regular season Sunday with a 1 p.m. game.