UMBC

Junior Wink Nolan has recorded a double in all three contests so far this weekend.

WEST HARTFORD, Conn.—The UMBC baseball team won its first conference series since 2005 as the Retrievers (15-23, 7-8 America East) took both sides of a doubleheader from Hartford on Saturday at Campus Field, downing the Hawks (14-23, 6-5 America East), 5-3, in 10 innings in game one and 5-2 in seven during game two.  UMBC also totaled the most conference wins ever since joining the America East Conference for the 2004 season with seven victories this season.

The last time the Retrievers won a conference series was in 2005, when they swept Hartford in a three-game series.  Senior Joe Fowler (Wilmington, Del./St. Mark’s) led the Retrievers on Saturday, going a combined 6-for-8 with two runs scored, a home run, and three RBI, while junior Wink Nolan (Ellicott City, Md./Calvert Hall/Maryland) tallied a triple in each game, his three-bagger in game one being the only extra-base hit for UMBC.

Freshman David Divita (3-4) (Mayfield Village, Ohio/Mayfield) and junior Will Delawter (3-3) (Frederick, Md./Catoctin/Chesapeake JC) earned the wins for the Retrievers, while junior Ryan Morse (Frederick, Md./Catoctin/Chesapeake JC) picked up his fourth save of the season.  Divita pitched 2.2 scoreless and hitless innings in relief during game one and struck out one batter, while Delawter lasted six innings in game two and fanned eight batters while letting in just two runs on six hits and Morse pitched one scoreless and hitless inning in relief.

Mike Amendola led the Hawks in the loss, going a combined 3-for-7 on the day with a double and three RBI, while Pete Moraski (3-2) and Marc Toomey (0-3) suffered the losses with Toomey allowing two runs on four hits in 2.1 innings of game one and Moraski pitched the entire seven innings of game two, giving up five runs on eight hits, while striking out five batters.

The Hawks struck first in game one, with a single tally in the bottom of the second, but the Retrievers quickly took the lead, adding two runs in the fourth off RBI singles by junior Mark Lemon (Wilmington, Del./St. Mark’s) and Fowler and one in the fifth off an RBI single from freshman Rich Conlon (Vienna, Va./James Madison).

The Hawks knotted that score in the bottom of the inning, however, adding two runs of their own to tie the game at three runs each and two scoreless innings by both team sent the game to extra innings, where it wasn’t until the top of the ninth that the Retrievers added two runs on RBI singles from junior Shawn Retz (Baltimore, Md./Western Tech/Catonsville C.C.) and senior Steve Russo (Lancaster, Pa./Conestoga Valley).

Divita retired the Hawks in order in the bottom of the ninth for the 5-3 win in game one and it was the Retrievers that struck first in game two with a three-run inning that saw an RBI triple by Nolan, RBI single by junior Scott Peddicord (Columbia, Md./Long Reach) and RBI single by Fowler.

Hartford cut that lead down to one with two runs in the bottom of the inning, but never came closer as UMBC tallied two runs in the sixth with a lead-off homer by Fowler and RBI double by Conlon on the way to the 5-2 victory.

The Retrievers and Hawks will play the series finale on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. where the Retrievers will look to record their first-ever four-game series sweep of an America East Conference foe.