May 1, 2011
Box Score
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - For the third consecutive game, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore played a tight with MEAC-leader Bethune-Cookman, falling 7-3, in the series finale at Hawks Stadium Sunday.
Bethune-Cookman (29-19, 15-0 MEAC), which escaped with 5-4 and 3-2 wins in a Saturday doubleheader, used a three-run sixth to score the eventual winning runs after B-CU's Patrick Goelz (6-3) and UMES' Tyler Witte (Westminster, Md.) were locked in a pitchers' duel for five innings.
The starters combined for 10 strikeouts in that span, while Witte surrendered just a first-inning solo home run to Matt Wright and fifth inning RBI groundout to Anthony Stokes as the Wildcats led, 2-0.
In the sixth, Wright drew a walk with one-out in the inning before Ryan Durrence laced a double down the left-field line. Emmanuel Castro followed with a single to center to plate both runners for a 4-0 lead. D.J. Leonard then shot another double down the line to tack on another run
Leading, 5-0, in the seventh, the Wildcats added to the lead. Alejandro Sanchez singled and stole second between a strikeout, scoring with two outs on a Wright RBI single to left.
UMES (8-35, 7-11) broke through on Goelz, who finished with 11 strikeouts and one walk in seven innings, in the bottom of the frame. Nick Wiggins (Littleton, Colo.) led off with a single to right center. After a pair of strikeouts, Lorenzo Christy (Germantown, Md.) singled to right and Shaquille Bagwell (Atlantic, Va.) reached on a fielding error by Castro at third base to load the bases.
Tre-Von Johnson's (East New Market, Md.) sharply hit ground ball then found a hole on the left side of the infield to cut the deficit to 6-2.
Each team's bullpen threw up zeros in the eighth with Bernard Parker (Waldorf, Md.) for UMES and Chris Anselmo for Bethune-Cookman on the mound before the Wildcats got one run back in the top of the ninth.
Karim Gonzalez (Mexico City, Mexico) allowed a RBI single to third base by Peter O'Brien with two outs but got out of the inning when shortstop James Newsome (Mechanicsville, Md.) made a stellar diving catch in the outfield grass.
Julio Morales took over in the bottom of the ninth as he did in the final inning of the doubleheader on Saturday and again looked shaky. Elliott Alston (Littleton, Colo.) hit a single to right to start things and moved to second when Morales hit Christy on the leg. The runners moved up on a wild pitch to Bagwell.
After Bagwell was retired, Christy grounded into a fielder's choice at short. Christy was thrown out at third on the play but Alston scored to for the final margin as Newsome fanned to end the game.
Wright was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two batted in with Brashad Johns also had two hits and two runs for the Wildcats. UMES Alston was 2-for-4 with a run and Tre-Von Johnson went 1-for-5 with three RBI
Goelz earned the win scattering six while Witte went 6.2 innings, allowing six earned runs and seven hits with four walks and seven strikeouts.
UMES sits in fifth in the MEAC standings and will wait until the final weekend on conference play is complete to learn their seeding for the MEAC Tournament at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Fla., May 19-22.
Until then, UMES is back action at Mount Saint Mary's on Thursday for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
