BROOKVILLE, New York – The University of Maryland Eastern Shore baseball team secured its first Northeast Conference series with a 6-3 win over Long Island University on Sunday, March 19.
 
"First series win of the year, first conference win, after the week we had it's just good to win some baseball games," interim head coach Shawn Phillips said. "To win some games, the series, it's a good feeling for the guys.
 
Evan Nibblett took the start for the Hawks (4-15, 2-4 NEC) and was a bull over his five innings pitched, surrendering just two runs with four strikeouts – earning his second victory of the season and lowering his ERA to 4.17 and 3.09 in the conference.
 
"Today had tough conditions to pitch in," Phillips said. "He got us through five innings and he worked those five innings - he did his job."
 
The Hawks grabbed a one-run lead in the top of the second when Ryan Howe reached on a hit by pitch and Luke Myers took a walk. With his second hit of the of the weekend, Kyle Cincinnati drove in Howe on one of his signature right field singles.
 
"He's handling the pitching staff right now," Phillips said of Cincinnati. "If he's hitting that's just a bonus for us, he's doing a heck of a job, especially this weekend."
 
In the third the Hawks were stung by a leadoff walk to the Sharks and then a homer that trailed to left field, putting UMES down 1-2.
 
Errors and pitching mistakes plagued LIU in the fourth, as Howe drew a walk and Myers reached on an error and Anders Brown loaded the bases with a single. Howe would score on a wild pitch before Derrick Mayes II hit his ninth RBI of the season with a sacrifice to center – Anders Brown extended the lead to 4-2 on another Shark wild pitch.
 
Mayes also smacked his team-leading seventh double in the game, his third of the leadoff variety over two days.
 
"He's confident at the plate right now which is good for us (with him) at the top of the order," Phillips said. "When he gets on base we can just do a lot of things – especially with him on second base. He's exuding a lot of confidence right now; I think it's a good sign to see."
 
Some insurance runs were scored by the Hawks in eighth after Howe, Myers and Cincinnati loaded the bases for pinch hitter Bryan Widdowson. The graduate student from Seaford, Delaware gave UMES it's fifth run of the game on a sacrifice and a ground out to first by Mayes the sixth.
 
LIU grabbed a run on Kyle Speas in the bottom of the eighth but Caden Parker took to the mound in the ninth and delivered his fourth save of the season – the most for a Hawk since Devin Repine also had four in 2016.
 
"First time (for him) pitching on back-to-back days so I had to see if he could do it," Phillips said of his closer. "I wanted to see how Caden pitched on back-to-back days and if it was something we could look forward on in the future. He came in and he shut the door down."
 
Mayes led the way for the Hawks at the plate this week, hitting .400/.474/.867 with four doubles, a home run and five RBIs. Oxyer continues to heat up, batting .353/.421/.471 and scoring his 100^th career run against the Sharks.
 
Nick Gatton was a workhorse for the Hawks by pitching five innings in two appearances for just a 1.80 ERA and Parker was phenomenal in all three appearances, allowing a run but holding opponents to a .111 batting average against while grabbing three saves. Raymond Smith, Jr. also had a low key great week, with two appearances over 2.2 innings and no runs against.
 
Rebstock had his best outing of the season in the Sunday win over LIU, pitching two innings of shutout ball with just one hit against.
 
"He threw four pitches in that (sixth) inning and that's the Blake Rebstock we're used to," Phillips said. "It was a good confidence builder for him."
 
Mount St. Mary's (MD) visits the Hawks this Wednesday (March 22) for the first of five meetings over the spring before UMES continues NEC play with Sacred Heart University. The Pioneers are riding high after a sweep of Stonehill College, and they also took two of three against Norfolk State to start conference action.
 
Follow the action on Twitter via @ESHawksBase.