UMBC

BALTIMORE—Sophomore Max Himmelstein (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) hit a three-run home run to lead the UMBC baseball team to a 3-1 victory over Albany Saturday afternoon. The Great Danes (7-29, 6-6 America East) defeated the Retrievers (9-25, 4-8 AEC) 9-5 in the second game.

In the first game, after the Great Danes scored a run in the top of the first, sophomore Curtis Schickner (East Windsor, N.J./Lawrenceville Prep) singled to lead off the bottom of the inning for UMBC.

After a sophomore Brian Klukowicz (Clifton, N.J./St. Peter's Prep) single, Himmelstein stepped up and hit a three-run bomb to left field, his second of the season, to give the Retrievers a 3-1 lead.

That was all senior starter Ed Bach (Columbia, Md./Atholton) (4-6) needed, pitching a complete game with three strikeouts and just the one run.

In the second game, the Retrievers used an error, a hit batter and three consecutive singles in the third to take a 3-1 lead. After the Great Danes struck for seven in the top of the fifth, Klukowicz hit his second home run of the season and junior Rick Phillips (Gaithersburg, Md./Gaithersburg) added a RBI single to cut the lead to 8-5.

Senior starter Kevin Clark (Alexandria, Va./Hayfield/Catonsville C.C.) (0-5) pitched 4.1 innings, allowing six runs. Albany’s Kevin Bartlett (2-1) took the win, pitching the last 4.1 innings, allowing just three hits.

The two teams conclude their four-game series Sunday with a doubleheader that starts at 1 p.m.