UMBC

Junior Scott Peddicord had two doubles in the Retrievers' win over Maine.

BALTIMORE—The UMBC baseball team split its first conference series since 2006 after winning the last game of a four-game series against Maine, 4-2, on Sunday afternoon at The Baseball Factory Field at UMBC.   The Retrievers (12-22, 4-8 AEC) took a 3-2 lead over the Black Bears (14-18, 3-5 AEC) before a rain delay, in the bottom of the seventh with two outs, postponed play for over an hour and added a final insurance run in the eighth to earn the victory.

Senior Will Delawter (Frederick, Md./Catoctin/Chesapeake JC) led the UMBC offense going 3-for-4 with two RBI and an eighth inning solo home run that sealed the victory for the Retrievers.  Redshirt freshman David Divita (2-4) (Mayfield Village, Ohio/Mayfield) earned the win after a pitching 7.2 innings while allowing just two runs on seven hits.

Curt Smith scored both of the runs by the Black Bears after going 3-for-4 on the day, while Alejandro Balsinde (1-4) was credited with the loss after giving up three earned runs in six innings of work with one strikeout.

The Retrievers struck early when junior Scott Peddicord (Columbia, Md./Long Reach) scored on a single to right center by Delawter in the first inning, but the Black bears would knot the score at one in the third thanks to a sacrifice fly by Tony Patane that scored Smith.  The Black Bears would then take their only lead of the game in the fifth inning when Smith scored on a double down the right field line by Myckie Lugbauer.

UMBC would even it at two in the bottom of the fifth when Peddicord plated junior Brad Brainer (Chester, Md./Kent Island/Chesapeake JC) with an RBI double to right and took the lead for good after junior Wink Nolan’s (Ellicott City, Md./Calvert Hall/Maryland) sac fly that scored junior Shawn Retz (Baltimore, Md./Western Tech/Catonsville C.C.). 

The rain delay halted play with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but play resumed in about an hour as the Retrievers made the final out. 

Senior Sean Rae (Westminster, Md./Calvert Hall College/Frostburg U.) relieved Divita in the eighth and picked up his first save of the season after pitching two scoreless innings while striking out one and giving up two hits. 

Delawter’s solo homer in the bottom of the eighth gave the Retrievers a two-run lead as they cruised to the 4-2 victory and split their first conference series, since splitting the 2006 series against Albany.

The Retrievers return to action on Tuesday night as they take on George Washington at 7 p.m. at The Baseball Factory Field at UMBC.