UMBC

Head Coach Bob Mumma

BALTIMORE, Md. – After rallying to tie the game at three, the UMBC baseball team dropped its home opener, 5-3, to Army, Saturday evening at the Baseball Factory Field at UMBC.  Army took the nightcap as well, taking a, 9-2, decision.

Game One, which was moved up two hours from its original start time of 5 p.m. on Friday, was completed on Saturday evening due to heavy rain in the Baltimore area.

Senior Steve Miller (Newark, Del./Dickinson) was charged with the loss for the Retrievers  after giving up two runs in the top of the tenth inning.  Miller (0-1) had pitched two scoreless innings in relief to force extras.  With the loss, UMBC fell to 0-5.

Manny Fernandez (2-0) earned the win for the visitors with three scoreless innings of relief, while Gunnar Carroll picked up his first save of the year. 

Army took the initiative on Friday, scoring runs in the first and second inning to take a two-run lead, 2-0, early on.  UMBC starter, Shane Vlasic (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run) was able to escape though, pitching 6.2 innings, yielding only those two runs to earn a no decision.

The Retrievers rallied in the fourth inning, scoring three runs, and taking the lead on an RBI single to right field by senior Curtis Schickner (East Windsor, N.J./Lawrenceville Prep).  Freshman Anthony Gatto (Hauppauge, N.Y./Smithtown West) and senior Michael Pesci (Parsippany, N.J./DePaul Catholic) also picked up RBIs during the rally.

The lead lasted until the top of the seventh when Army tied the score on a single by Kevin McKague.

Both teams were held scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings, forcing the first game of the season at the Baseball Factory Field to extra innings.

In the top of the tenth, the Black Knights picked up two runs on a fielders’ choice to take the lead. 

UMBC threatened in the bottom half with runners on first and second, but senior Max Himmelstein’s (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) line drive was caught, and Army turned a triple play to end the game.

In game two, Army’s Chris Rowley registered ten strikeouts to shutdown UMBC and earned his second win of the year. 

Sophomore Jon Cohn (Scottsdale, Ariz./Notre Dame Prep) took the loss for the Retrievers after giving up six runs in two and two-thirds of an inning.  Cohn (0-1) walked two and gave up eight hits in the loss.  The Retrievers are now 0-6, following the loss in game two.

Sophomore Rob McCabe (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph’s Prep) led UMBC at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a walk and scoring a run.  The sophomore catcher is now batting .333 (7-for-21) this season.

The Retrievers and Black Knights conclude the three-game series on Sunday.  First pitch at Baseball Factory Field is set for 12 p.m.

Dawg Bites

-           Freshman Anthony Gatto hit safely in each of his first four collegiate games, but was held hitless (0-for-3) in game two against Army to break the streak.

-          The Retrievers have six players – McCabe (7), Tom Gilchrist (6), Himmelstein (6), Jake Barnes (5), Gatto (4) and Ian Glassman (4) – who have picked up four or more hits in the first six games.