BRIDGEPORT, Connecticut – The University of Maryland Eastern Shore baseball team was able to get great starts from Noah Covington and Kyle Speas in a doubleheader with Sacred Heart University on Friday, March 24. Unfortunately for both pitchers, the Hawks lost the pair of games 2-7 and 5-7, falling to 4-18 (2-6 NEC).
 
Game One
 
Covington turned in a phenomenal start for the Hawks despite taking his fifth loss of the season, setting a season high with eight strikeouts. The senior walked no batters, his fifth game this season so far, extending his nation lead by only allowing one over 40.1 innings pitched.
 
The Hawks were stung by an error that allowed two unearned runs against Covington in the third inning to put them down early. Sacred Heart was able to grab two more runs on Covington in the fourth with a one-out double to give the home side a four-run lead.
 
After heading to the bullpen, the Hawks would give up three more runs in the eighth inning with back-to-back home runs.
 
In the top of the ninth the Hawks were able to put two runs across when Derrick Mayes II hit his team and conference high eighth double of the season and Dillon Oxyer a single, putting two men on. Brantley Cutler then hit his 20^th and 21^st RBI of the season to put a little momentum into the offense for game two before the final outs were called.
 
Alex McCoy and Cutler both finished the game with two hits apiece for the Hawks, with Mayes and Oxyer each chipping in the other during the ninth.
 
Game Two
 
It was quick striking for the Hawks in the first inning with Mayes getting on base thanks to a leadoff hit by pitch and was moved over by an Oxyer bunt. Cutler grabbed his third RBI of the game by driving in Mayes with a hard single up the middle for a 1-0 lead.
 
Speas handled the Pioneers through two innings but ran into problems following an error that put the Pioneers up by three in the third inning. The freshman would finish with 4.1 innings pitched and five strikeouts, both career highs, while giving up three earned to two unearned runs – lowering his season ERA by more than three runs.
 
The Hawks were able to grab a run back in the top of the fourth when McCoy led off with a walk, stole second and then advanced to third for Howe at the plate. Doubling down the right field line, Howe drove in McCoy to make it a 2-3 game.
 
More offense came from the Hawks in the fifth that started with a single and stolen base by Mayes, who crossed home thanks to a Cutler double to right center to tie it up.
 
Sacred Heart didn't stay down long with a walk and a pair of back-to-back triples to retake the 3-5 lead in the bottom of the inning, chasing Speas and bringing in Nick Gatton.
 
In the seventh the Hawks were able to grab another run following Howe's second double of the game, pushing Cutler across the plate to help cut the deficit by one.
 
Once again, the Pioneers were able to respond by taking advantage of a walk and hit by pitch to put a runner on second, with the lead man scoring on a single to center field. A double would stretch Sacred Heart's lead to 7-4.
 
A bit more fight was given by the Hawks in the eighth with Luke Myers singling, his third hit of the game, and was driven in by Mayes' NEC leading ninth double, but UMES was unable to grab another pair of runs to tie the game.
 
Cutler led the way in the game with three hits, including a double, and two RBIs while scoring a run. Myers shook off a bit of a slump with three hits, a walk and a run. Howe delivered a pair of RBI doubles in the game.
 
Next Up
 
The Hawks have an off day tomorrow due to weather in Connecticut, with the series finale coming on Sunday (March 26) at noon.
 
Live Stats and an audio broadcast will be provided by Sacred Heart with links available on the University of Maryland Eastern Shore athletics website.
 
Follow the action on Twitter via @ESHawksBase.