UMBC

Junior Bryan Russo

BALTIMORE—The UMBC baseball team dropped its first two games of the 2010 season, falling to Yale 7-3 and 11-3, Sunday at the Baseball Factory Field at UMBC.

In the second game, junior Bryan Russo (Westbury, N.Y./Clarke) hit a two-run bomb to left field in the bottom of the first inning after the Bulldogs scored one in the top of the inning.

The Bulldogs added six in the fourth and four in the fifth with Andy Megee and Trygg Larsson-Danforth driving in three runs each.

Yale starter Pat Ludwig struck out eight in five innings of work, allowing three runs. UMBC senior starter Kevin Clark (Alexandria, Va./Hayfield/Catonsville C.C.) allowed six earned runs in 3 and 1/3 innings of work. Junior Travis Pearson (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) pitched four innings of scoreless relief.

In the first game, Yale jumped out a 3-0 lead after Ryan Brenner’s three-run homer to left and kept that lead until UMBC scored an unearned run in the second.

In the bottom of the fourth, sophomore Curtis Schickner (East Windsor, N.J./Lawrenceville Prep) hit an RBI single to center to score freshman Aaron Brill (Palm Beach, Fla./John I. Leonard) to cut the lead to 3-2.

After the Bulldogs answered with two in the top of the fifth, Russo singled up the middle and scored freshman pinch runner Samuel Bashioum (Fayette City, Pa./Belle Vernon Area).

Brook Hart (1-0) picked up the win for the Bulldogs, allowing one earned run in five innings of work. Eric Schultz picked up the save, his first of the season. Senior Ed Bach (Columbia, Md./Atholton) (0-1) took the loss for the Retrievers, striking out two in four innings of work.

The two teams conclude their three-game series Monday at noon.