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News Release
BASEBALL SWEPT AT MOUNT ST. MARY'S, 4-1 & 9-8
4/23/2003
The Mount St. Mary's baseball team swept visiting UMBC in a Northeast Conference doubleheader at the Mount's Golibart Field on Wednesday afternoon. The Mount won the first game, 4-1, and took a 9-8 game-from-behind win in game two. The Mount improves to 12-17 overall and 7-8 in the NEC while UMBC fell to 13-17, 10-5. The Mount was the visiting team in game one because the game was a make-up from a rainout at UMBC earlier this season.
Mount starting pitcher Brandon Woodward struck out 10 and allowed just five hits to improve to 4-4 on the season in the first game. The Mount jumped to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the third when James Serafin belted his first home run of the season. The Mount added a run in the top of the fourth on a Burt Stormes double that drove in Jason Weszka, who led off the inning with a two-base hit.
UMBC fought back in the bottom of the fourth, scoring its only run of the game on a Kevin Brooks RBI single. The Retrievers had the bases loaded with two outs in the fourth, but Woodward got Mike Orlando to pop out to first base on a 3-2 pitch to end the threat. The Mount added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth when Eric Smith lofted a drive over the center field fence for a two-run homer.
Stormes was 3-3 in the game with a double while Smith was 2-2 with two RBI. Serafin also had two hits in the victory. UMBC pitcher Tom Ballenger allowed nine hits and four runs in seven innings of work to take the loss.
The second game was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Mount come back from a 7-4 sixth-inning deficit. With the Mount trailing 8-7 heading into the bottom of the seventh, Joseph Kotula opened the inning with a lead-off double. Weszka line out to the pitcher and Stormes was hit by a Eric Butkiewicz pitch to put runners on first and second with one out. Smith tied the game with a single to left, plating Kotula. Designated hitter Jim Jefferson then grounded to third base, but the ball was mishandled by the UMBC first baseman, allowing pinch runner Blake Smith to score the winning run. UMBC had taken an 8-7 lead on a Brooks RBI single in the top half of the seventh.
UMBC jumped to a 2-0 lead in game two on a Brad Glascock two-run shot in the top of the first inning. Scott Kosmiscky added a run-scoring single in the third to make the score 3-0. The Mount rallied for four runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead. Weszka drove a ball to right center field for an RBI double and Smith followed with an RBI single to left. Daniel Fowler then gave the Mount the lead with a two-run single.
The Retrievers regained the lead with four runs in the top of the sixth inning. Chris Yetter and Jay Long each had RBI singles in the inning while Mike Orlando added an RBI triple to right center. The Mount responded with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Smith scored on an error by the UMBC third baseman, and John Digirolamo hit his team-leading third home run, a two-run shot, to tie the game at 7-7.
Brian Santo struck out 10 in a no-decision for the Mount. Steve Stoner pitched two-thirds of an inning to improve to 1-2 on the year. Butkiewicz gave up five runs, one earned, in taking the loss. Smith was 3-4 with two runs scored and two RBI in the nightcap for the Mount. Kosmicky ws 3-4 with an RBI while Orlando, Brooks and Yetter each had two hits in the loss.