UMBC

Junior Max Himmelstein

ALBANY, N.Y.—The UMBC baseball team dropped both ends of a doubleheader against America East rival Albany, 9-4 and 6-0, Saturday at Varsity Field. The second game between the Retrievers (8-35, 0-18 America East) and the Great Danes (19-25, 11-7 AE) was shortened to six innings due to rain.

The second doubleheader of the weekend scheduled for Sunday has been cancelled due to rain and the games will not be made up.

In the first game, junior Max Himmelstein (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) gave the Retrievers the lead when he doubled down the left field line and scored redshirt freshman D.J. Ream (Columbia, Pa./Hempfield). Himmelstein would come around to score on a single by junior Brian Klukowicz (Clifton, N.J./St. Peter’s Prep).

Himmelstein would strike again in the third inning, hitting a two-run single that scored senior Rich Conlon (Vienna, Va./James Madison) and freshman Rob McCabe (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph’s).

Kyle Crean and Mike Tirri led the Great Danes with three hits and four RBI each. Crean hit a grand slam in the second, while Tirri hit a solo shot in the third and a two-run home run in the sixth.

Sophomore starter Mike Mitchell (Fairfax, Va./Paul VI Catholic/Frederick CC) (1-10) took the loss, allowing six runs in three innings of work.

Dave Kubiak (6-5) pitched a complete game for Albany, striking out six.

In the second game, the Retrievers mustered just three hits off of Zach Kraham (4-5), who struck out nine in the six innings of work.

Junior starter Sean Swetnam (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt/George Mason) fell to 1-6 on the season, allowing six runs in four innings of work.  

The Retrievers return to action Friday when they begin their final series of the season, a four-game America East set against Hartford at Baseball Factory Field at 2 p.m.