Feb. 25, 2009
Stats
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) baseball team just about put it all together today, essentially outplaying the Mountain Hawks of Lehigh University in game one and falling just short in game two, before dropping both games 8-7 (11 innings) and 6-3 respectively on a sunny day at Hawks Stadium.
The Hawks used effective pitching, hot bats and solid base running to keep it close or take the lead in both contests. In fact, they out hit Lehigh in game one, made just one error to their five and got a home run from third baseman Elliott Alston (Littleton, Colo.), but still came up short in 11 innings, falling 8-7 in the opener.
With the game tied after nine it was the 11th that doomed UMES. After getting a ground out from Jim McConlogue, Brendan Pifer doubled to left off of reliever Brian White (Virginia Beach, Va.). Mark Berhard then lined out to second for the second out and it seemed as if there would be no damage. However, a shallow pop up by Logan Marshall turned into a `Texas leaguer' and shortstop Remo Orsini (Elkton, Md.) couldn't make the play allowing Pifer to score and give the Mountain Hawks what would be the difference, an 8-7 lead.
That was the only error the Hawks would make all game, while they took advantage of five Lehigh miscues during the contest. After the Mountain Hawks took a 1-0 lead in the second, UMES responded with a pair of runs of their own. Russel Deutschmann (Baden, Ontario, Canada) walked and then scored after Franklin Armstrong (Trenton, N.J.) tripled to right center. Alston, who went an amazing 5-6 in the game, then picked up hit no. 1 with a single to left and moved to second on a bobble by left fielder Andy Russell. That allowed Armstrong to score and give UMES the 2-1 lead.
They added two more in the third as Josh Dunham (Des Moines, Iowa) got it going with a single up the middle. After one out, Orsini double to left center to plate Dunham. Orsini scored himself a few batters later when a Deutschmann single through the left side moved the runners along.
Hawk starter Carl Huber (Mt. Airy, Md.) was solid through the first three innings but lost control in the fourth. He couldn't keep the ball up and three wild pitches, along with a double, a triple and a pair of walks in the inning spelled his early retirement for the game. Matt Witte (Westminster, Md.) took over to get UMES out of the jam, but they were now behind 5-4.
Lehigh added a run off of Witte in the fifth on a bases loaded walk.
The Hawk bats came back to life in the sixth however with another pair of runs. Phil Vaughn (Clinton, Md.) got it started with a single up the middle and took third on an Orsini single to left center. With right fielder Jorge Pichardo (La Vega, Dominican Republic) at the plate, the gutsy head coach, Will Gardner, called the double steal. It worked to perfection, the speedy Orsini drew the throw and a delay by Vaughn, the conference's reigning stolen base champ, resulted into a slide that was easily called safe at home. After a pair of strike outs, UMES used a two out rally and got an RBI from Deutschmann, a double to right center, which plated Orsini who had stolen third in the previous at bat. That tied the game at six all.
Lehigh got another run in the seventh to take the lead right back. Marshall singled home Pifer who had led-off with a double to left. No worries. Alston took the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the frame to left field, a towering shot that tied it again at seven. It would remain that way until the 11th when Lehigh scraped out the win.
White took the hard luck loss, allowing the unearned run in the 11th. Cory Kent picked up the win in relief.
In game two the Hawks struck first. They pushed two runs across in the third inning as Dunham led-off with a single to right. A wild pitch put him on second and a bunt single by Vaughn plated him from second as the ball was overthrown enough to allow Dunham to keep running. Vaughn scored one batter later as Orsini triple to center.
After cruising through three innings of no hit ball, Hawk starter John DesChamps (Virginia Beach, Va.) allowed Lehigh to plate three in the fourth. Geoff Campbell got the first hit off of DesChamps with a triple to center. Campbell scored on a fielder's choice as Russell reached. He was then picked off and Pifer flew out immediately after. However, a two out rally from the Mountain Hawks saw Billy Goldman reach on a bunt single and Joe Conaway homer to left center.
Greg Angelo hit a sac fly to left that added one more run in the fifth and Lehigh now had a 4-2 lead.
UMES would get one run in the sixth inning when an Alston single to left plated Armstrong, who reached on a hit of his own to start the inning. The Hawks would get no closer. Down 4-3 Lehigh added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh and final inning to take the 6-3 win.
DesChamps took the loss, the first of his young career, while Longernecker picked up the win going six innings and allowing all three UMES runs. Kent got the save, his first of the season.
Despite the two losses, UMES had a fairly good day at the dish. Alston went a combined 6-9 with a home run, a run and three RBI. Orsini was a solid 3-7 with a two runs and two RBI while Deutschmann had a run and two RBI. Vaughn was also solid, swiping three bases, picking up two runs and going 4-8 at the plate.
The Hawks get back at it this weekend, hosting Niagara on Saturday and Sunday in a pair of double headers. Both days begin at noon. Sunday's first game will be the premier broadcast of the 2009 Hawks on the radio, as it will be covered by the official home of Hawk Baseball, Timeless Classics 540-AM, WGOP. The Voice of the Hawks, Nick Anastos, will have inning by inning play by play beginning with the pre-game show at 11:50 a.m.
