After a long and physically taxing road trip to begin the season, the University of Maine Black Bears finally played their first home game of the 2019 season. The Black Bears picked up the win in the first game at the Mahaney Diamond this year against the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Retrievers.

Fourth-year right–handed pitcher Nick Silva started on the mound for the Black Bears, putting in an impressive performance for the home opener. Pitching just over eight frames of work before being relieved, Silva only allowed one earned run and struck out seven batters to be awarded the win.

The Black Bears were able to get on the board early when fourth-year designated hitter Colin Ridley reached first base on a field choice, and third-year first baseman Hernen Sardinas made it home giving the Black Bears a 1-0 advantage in the first. Two innings later, the Retrievers struck back with the help of a passed ball which was enough for fourth-year outfielder Terrence Pinkston to make it home from third to knot the game up at one a piece.

The rest of the game was a pitching duel between Silva and UMBC’s first-year pitcher Cooper Adams, until the seventh inning when the Black Bears were once again able to take the lead. Fourth-year second baseman Caleb Kerbs singled to left field, driving in second-year first baseman Joe Bramanti, giving Maine a 2-1 lead in the seventh. Silva kept his strong performance going into the ninth inning, snagging one final out before being relieved by third-year pitcher Trevor DeLaite. DeLaite made quick work of the remaining Retrievers, striking out two more batters and holding on for a Black Bear victory in the home opener.

In their second contest against UMBC on Saturday, without Silva on the mound, Maine’s pitching wasn’t as strong, as the Black Bears took the 4-1 loss in seven innings. With redshirt fourth-year pitcher Justin Courtney on the mound, Maine made quick work of the Retrievers in the top of the first. Sardinas took the first pitch thrown by second-year pitcher Nick Trabacchi and sent it over the back wall for Maine, giving Maine a 1-0 lead.

Maine’s lead was short lived, as the Retrievers offense roared to life in the third inning, rattling off four runs thanks to big swings from third-year catcher Colin Casey and first-year center fielder Blaze O’Saben. Neither team could manage to move the score from there, tying the series at one game a piece.

The Black Bears will play two more home series in the next two weeks. Next week they will face the University of Massachusetts Lowell in a three game series from April 13-14, and the following week they play the University of Massachusetts Amherst from April 19-21. The Black Bears hope to gain momentum in their long home stand and pick up more wins to gain some ground in the America East Conference, where they are currently only ahead of UMBC.

Maine is not sitting particularly well currently, with a 3-21 record overall. However, a majority of the losses were games out of the conference against strong southern teams. They are 2-4 in the conference with more conference matchups coming up. This gives UMaine a great opportunity to regain positioning and go for a run at the America East title. Maine looks to go on a roll in the following home series to give them a good position in America East. It would be a tremendous turn around for the Black Bears after the tough road stretch they faced in the first half of the season.

The University of Maine women’s softball team traveled down to Abilene, Texas for two double headers against the University of Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos and Abilene Christian University Wildcats over the weekend of March 1-3.

Kicking off their four game tour, the Black Bears faced off against the Kangaroos and were handed a 7-0 loss and followed up with a 9-2 loss later in the day against the Wildcats. Maine’s offense was lacking against their first opponent, only managing two hits against the Kangaroos. While they managed to get eight hits off of Wildcats’ second-year pitcher Samantha Bradley, only two runs were scored. Bradley picked up two runs of her own on offense for the Wildcats, in addition to pitching the entire game.

First-year pitcher Gabbie Siciliano took the mound for Maine against the Wildcats and completed two frames of work before being relieved by second-year pitcher Kylie O’Donnell. The two combined to give up eight hits and nine runs, while also walking three batters. Multiple errors in the second inning by the Black Bears’ infield gave up two runs and three stolen bases, giving momentum to the Wildcats early in the contest, which propelled them forward to their eventual victory over Maine.

The Black Bears were able to bounce back the next day and pick up a win in their second game against the Kangaroos. Maine found themselves down 4-1 late in the game but were able to capitalize with their base runners and in the bottom of the sixth, second-year right fielder Hailey Perry knocked a solo shot that tied the game at 4-4 going into the final inning. Reliever Lilly Volk delivered strongly for the Black Bears keeping the score tied going into the bottom of the seventh. Second-year catcher Makayla Livingston came in for a pinch hit in which she reached base on a bunt; and a throwing error from the Kangaroo’s infield was enough for second-year catcher Amanda Nee to make it home from second base to give Maine a 5-4 walk off win to draw the two game set against the Kangaroos.

Maine’s momentum in their comeback victory against the University of Missouri-Kansas City didn’t carry over into their contest against the Wildcats, as they lost once more by a final score of 9-2. The girls will now turn their focus to next week as they travel to Kansas for a similar double two game set, as they will once again take on the University of Missouri-Kansas City along with the University of Kansas.

Maine hopes to have a strong showing in enemy territory next weekend. Because of typical northeast weather, Maine’s softball team has quite a bit of waiting time before they will get to play at home in Orono on Saturday, April 13, against the University of Hartford. Until then, the Black Bears will have to make the most out of their road games and steal some wins before they play in their own backyard. When this road trip ends during mid-April, the Black Bears will then play 11 of their final 14 games at home, giving them an advantage in a late season playoff push.

With spring around the corner, the start of the baseball season is here for the University of Maine Black Bears. It has been a rather underwhelming start to the season for the Black Bears after being swept on the road in a four game set from Friday, Feb. 15 to Sunday, Feb. 17 at Florida State University against a talented Seminoles team. The Black Bears played four games in the span of three days, including a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 16.

Maine was swept 11-0 in their Friday contest against the Seminoles, with Florida State taking an early 3-0 lead after a strong bottom of the first by their offense. The Black Bears were unable to stop the Seminoles, as they scored their 11 runs on 12 hits. Third-year starting pitcher Cody Lawyerson kept his cool through his three frames of work, including a scoreless inning in the second. After a two-run third inning by the Seminoles, head coach Nick Derba relieved Lawyerson with first-year pitcher Jacob Small. Small fared no better against the Seminoles strong batting rotation, giving up another six runs in the shut out.

The Black Bears lost the doubleheader series on Saturday by scores of 16-3 and 5-4,  respectively. After playing such a close game in the latter portion of the doubleheader, the Black Bears were crushed 9-1 by the Seminoles to round out their weekend. With the given weather and climate conditions of the northeast, Maine’s disadvantage on the diamond against southern teams was quite apparent through their first series, as the Seminoles have been able to practice outside for the majority of the school year.

The Black Bears also played two games on the road against the University of Maryland, which unfortunately also ended with consecutive losses with scores of 4-0 and 5-3. The Black Bears will be on the road for a 16 game stretch until their first home contest in April. But Maine has a promising group of talented athletes on their squad that will be able to grind out the road stretch and hopefully get back for their first home games with a high number in the win column.

Redshirt fourth-year infielder Caleb Kerbs is off to a strong start in the 2019 campaign, batting .316 with two extra base hits to go along with a stolen base. Third-year pitcher Trevor DeLaite,  has come on strong as well, not having allowed a single run in his three appearances on the mound so far. First-year starting pitcher Nicolas Sinacola came along strong for the Black Bears in his college debut start pitching five innings allowing zero runs. Third-year outfielder Colin Ridley batted .273 for the Black Bears over the course of the four games, pairing well with Kerbs to carry the Black Bears’ offensive efforts.

Next week they will travel to Virginia to take on Liberty University, and until then, the team will look to make the most out of this long road trip and hopefully come out on top at the end. With 12 first-year students composing a large portion of the active 32 man roster, and some of these players are already making an immediate impact, the future looks bright for the Black Bears.

With the conclusion of NFL football played every Sunday, fans turn their attention to free agency, which year after year, always ends up as a surprise in one way or another; whether it’s a big name free agent signing a record breaking contract, or a blockbuster trade that shocks the league, free agency always delivers.

An exciting sight to see, the moves each team make in an effort to improve their team for the upcoming season results in months of questions and debate over whether or not the trade is beneficial for the teams moving forward, in addition to what these trades will cause teams to do in the impending draft. Starting March 11, teams will have permission to reach out to players that are currently on another team but have an expiring contract in an effort to try to sign those players to a new deal. The official start to the new league year begins March 13 at 4 p.m. (EST)

In the case of the Patriots, their two biggest upcoming free agents are defensive end Trey Flowers and offensive left tackle Trent Brown. On a defensive line that lacks a lot of depth, the Patriots prioritizing resigning Flowers to a contract extension is crucial. The stud defensive end played a huge role in the Patriots’ playoff run and recorded countless big plays that led to their success this past season. In weeks two and three of the regular season, when New England took consecutive losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions, New England struggled to get to the quarterback, which evidently was a cause for the Patriots not being able to get the defense off the field and give Brady and the offense time to work with the ball. Flowers did not play in either of those games, and it is fair to say that’s not a coincidence.

Aside from Flowers, the core of the defense, including the likes of linebacker Dont’a Hightower, cornerback Stephon Gilmore, safety Duron Harmon, cornerback J.C. Jackson and safety Devin McCourty (if he decides to come back for another season) will still be under contract for at least the 2019 season. Going into this offseason the Patriots should target more depth at wide receiver, tight end, linebacker and the defensive line. If the Patriots are able to retain Trey Flowers and pair him up with another stud on the defensive line, along with the aforementioned players, this defense could be scary and the Patriots could make another Super Bowl run.

As far as Brown is concerned, he was a standout player on one of the best offensive lines in the NFL this season and consistently kept Tom Brady’s blind side safe, but unfortunately it seems as though the 6-foot-8-inch beast will likely take his talents elsewhere as many folks seem to believe the Patriots will not have the cap space to bring Brown back, unless they are able to restructure the deals of other players or even cut them from the roster. The loss of Brown would be manageable, as the Patriots’ former first round pick from last season, Isaiah Wynn, will be able to suit up this season and take over that starting role after missing this past season due to an injury suffered in preseason action.

New England still has guard Shaq Mason, center Joe Thuney, guard David Andrews and tackle Marcus Cannon locked up for this year. Patriots’ fans should have high hopes that Wynn can fill the void of Trent Brown. Wynn played along with the Patriots other former first round running back Sony Michel. The two studs played for a Georgia team that just barely fell short of a national championship against Alabama in 2017. Wynn was one of many stars on an offensive line that allowed Sony Michel and Browns’ running back Nick Chubb to cause nightmares for opposing defensive coordinators.

As for the wide receiver position, expect an offseason similar to the one prior to the 2007 season when the Patriots brought in the three headed monster of Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte Stallworth. The Patriots will have slot receiver Julian Edelman returning and are hopeful that they can get wide receiver Josh Gordon back on the field. It is also worth noting that it appears the Miami Dolphins are going to move on from wide receiver Danny Amendola, a well–regarded Patriots playoff hero, and a reunion this offseason would not be surprising. Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Golden Tate also seems that he will be walking this offseason. Tate would fit right in with a Patriots offense that thrives with quick slot receivers. As much as all these moves would make sense, Belichick makes all of the Patriots’ roster moves, and all we can do now is wait to see what cards he has up his sleeve.