The University of Massachusetts Lowell (19-22, 12-2) softball team won the contest against the University of Maine 5-4 on Wednesday, April 25, and their win was well deserved. Despite holding the lead for most of the game, the Black Bears surrendered two home runs in the seventh inning that gave Lowell the victory.
First-year pitcher Kyleigh O’Donnell relieved fourth-year starting pitcher Annie Kennedy in the fifth after Kennedy’s four innings of work that included two strikeouts, seven hits allowed, and just two earned runs. O’Donnell allowed an RBI double in the fifth to tie the game 3-3.
It was third-year third baseman Alyssa Derrick who regained the lead for the Black Bears. The Rhode Island native singled to right field to drive third-year infielder Laurine German home to make the game 4-3.
O’Donnell went into the seventh inning with a 4-3 lead. On the first pitch of the inning, UMass Lowell’s Sydney Barker went deep to left field with a solo shot, effectively tying the game at 4-4. Then UMass engaged the unlikely. Their third baseman Maria Moccio had been 0-3 at the plate that afternoon. She had left five runners on base in the game at that point. Moccio was down in hole facing an 0-2 count before launching a walk-off home run to center field for the 5-4 victory.
UMaine third-year Maddie Decker went 2-3 in the game with a double and a home run of her own. She had two RBIs in the game. Third-year second baseman Meghan Royle went 2-3 from the plate as well. Derrick was 2-4 in the game with one run batted in. German went 1-3 with a double. First-year Amanda Nee went 1-3 at the plate with a run scored. Fourth-year right fielder Erika Leonard went 1-4 with a run scored.

Maine drops opener in Binghamton series

Errors were the name of the game in the first game of three against Binghamton University. The Bearcats beat the Black Bears 4-1 and all five runs in the game were unearned. The Black Bears had the lead early in the contest. In the first inning, fourth-year centerfielder Rachel Carlson made it to second base by a throwing error by the pitcher. Derrick drove Carlson home with an RBI single. Unfortunately, Derrick’s hit in the first inning would be the Black Bear’s only hit in the game.
Binghamton’s second-year pitcher Rozlyn Price was dazzling in her outing. After allowing an RBI single, Price retired six consecutive UMaine batters. In her six innings of one-hit softball, Price walked four UMaine batters and struck out four. Binghamton’s first-year Chelsea Howard relieved Price and picked up the save. Howard struck out three of the four batters she faced.
Kennedy pitched a gem of her own. Kennedy pitched a complete game and allowed six hits in the game. The four runs she allowed were all unearned. Kennedy struck out six batters in her seven innings of work. Her record this season is now 9-5.

Maine takes Game 2 following seventh inning chaos

The Black Bears had a 4-2 lead going into the seventh inning. O’Donnell had pitched six strong innings, only having allowed two runs. She then loaded the bases and allowed a run. After walking a batter to load the bases once again, she was relieved by fourth-year Molly Flowers. O’Donnell had three strikeouts in the game. Flowers inherited three of O’Donnell’s base runners.
Flowers allowed a run on a wild pitch that tied the game 4-4. Then Binghamton’s fourth-year infielder Kate Richard singled up the middle, scoring two runs to take a 6-4 lead. Binghamton’s first-year infielder Makayla Alvarez hit a sacrifice fly to make it 7-4. Second-year infielder Kassidy Seary then hit an RBI single to take a 8-4 lead. The Black Bears pitching allowed six runs on four hits in the inning.
Down by 4 in the bottom of the seventh, the Black Bears just went for it. Maine’s first-year Shanna Scribner walked. Leonard laid down a bunt single that allowed Scribner to advance to third. With runners on first and third and no outs, German hit a double to right center, scoring Scribner and Leonard. Now down 8-6, Carlson put down a sacrifice bunt, allowing German to make it to third base. Derrick trimmed the lead down to one after scoring German on a groundout to Binghamton’s shortstop.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Decker doubled to left center. First-year Hailey Perry pinch ran for Decker. Fourth-year first baseman Kristen Niland reached on an error by Binghamton’s first baseman and Perry advanced to third. Royle walked to load up the bases for the Black Bears. Nee pinch hit for second baseman Sarah Coyne as first-year Maddie Kimble pinch ran for Niland. Nee then managed to reach first on another error by Binghamton’s first baseman as Kimble and Perry made it home to score the tying and then winning run. Maine won the game 9-8 and Flowers picked up her third win of the season.

Senior Day game goes into extras

It was another exceptional start for Kennedy, who struck out  five Binghamton batters in Sunday’s game. Entering her Senior Day game, Kennedy had a 9-5 record and an ERA of 1.27. After throwing more than 100 pitches in her complete game loss the day before, she would repeat the feat in Game 3.

Kennedy didn’t let the Bearcats score until the sixth inning. She was rolling through the lineup. Kennedy’s accuracy from the mound was notable as well considering she managed to walk no batters in the game. After Binghamton tied the Black Bears 1-1 in the sixth inning, Kennedy held them in check for the seventh.

The Black Bears sent her out for the eighth inning, which is nothing new for Kennedy. This was the fourth time she’s pitched the eighth inning of the game, and it would be her sixth complete game of the season. It was Rozlyn Price, the pitcher who limited the Black Bears to one hit in the game yesterday, who drove home the go-ahead runs. She launched a ball to left field, scoring two runners to give Binghamton the 3-1 lead. Howard, who recorded the save in the one-hitter, collected the win for Binghamton. After striking out the side the day before she managed to throw 5.2 innings of scoreless softball. She allowed just four hits and struck out six UMaine batters, finishing the game that Price started. Price pitched 2.1 innings of one-hit softball, and walked three batters.

Carlson went 2-3 in the game for the Black Bears. Royle went 1-3 at the plate. Fourth-year Erika Leonard went 1-2 with a bunt single and two walks. Shortstop German went 1-2 as well. Three of the five hits for the Black Bears were bunt singles, and all five hits were singles.

Senior Day was the last of the home games for the Black Bears. A three-game series at the University of Stony Brook will conclude the regular season. Game 1 of the doubleheader begins Friday, May 4 at 1 p.m. Game 2 will start at 3:30 p.m. Game 3 will be played on Saturday, May 5 at 11 a.m.

Despite outscoring the University of Hartford (4-15) 9-7 on the three-game series, the University of Maine baseball team (5-19) dropped two out of three in their America East opener.

Maine lost Game 1 by a score of 5-3. Fourth-year starting pitcher Zach Winn started the game for the Black Bears. The Arizona native pitched five innings of one-run baseball. He allowed just three hits and three walks, while striking out four batters.

First-year pitcher Ben Terwilliger relieved Winn in the sixth inning. He pitched just 1.1 innings and allowed one run, one hit, one walk and two strikeouts. First-year pitcher Matt Geoffrion came in for Terwilliger in the seventh. Geoffrion struggled to hold onto the lead, giving up three runs on four hits and a walk with two strikeouts on 1.2 innings of work.

The Hartford Hawks’ pitching was hard to figure out. The Hawks as a team struck out 13 Black Bear batters. Third-year right hander Billy Devito started the game for Hartford. He pitched five innings, allowed three runs on four hits, walked three and struck out five. Redshirt third-year Jack Regula relieved Devito in the sixth inning. He was the most dominant pitcher in the game. Regula pitched three innings and allowed just two hits. He struck out a game-high six batters. Third-year right-hander Seth Pinkerton picked up the save for the Hawks. He allowed two hits, one walk and no runs, and struck out two in the ninth inning.

UMaine third-year shortstop Jeremy Pena went 2-5 at the plate in the game for the Black Bears. One of his hits included a triple. Second-year first baseman Hernen Sardinas went 1-4 and drove in two runs. Fourth-year designated hitter Jonathan Bennett went 1-4 with a walk and one run batted in. Fourth-year Brandon Vicens, redshirt third-year Caleb Kerbs and second-year catcher Cody Pasic also went 1-4 at the plate in the game.

Game 2 was a pitchers’ duel until Hartford second-year second baseman Bryce Walker hit an eighth-inning home run. Walker’s home run was the only run scored in the game.

Third-year pitcher Nick Silva started the game for the Black Bears. He pitched 7.2 innings of shutout baseball until the Walker home run. Silva allowed five hits, two walks, one run and three strikeouts. Fourth-year Connor Johnson pitched one third of an inning and allowed one hit. Silva was one out short of a complete game.

First-year Nicholas Dombrowski was the winning pitcher in the game. Dombrowski threw eight strong innings. He allowed five hits and one walk, while striking out six Black Bear batters. Pinkerton collected the save in a clean ninth inning. He pitched one inning and struck out one batter.

Fourth-year catcher Christopher Bec had two of the five Black Bear hits in the game. Bec, who is on the watch list for the Johnny Bench Award, went 2-4 at the plate with a double and a stolen base. Fourth-year Brandon Vicens and third-year Jeremy Pena each went 1-4 at the plate with singles. Second-year Kevin Doody went 1-3.

UMaine won Game 3 by a score of 6-1. Redshirt third-year pitcher Chris Murphy started the game for the Black Bears, but he only recorded one out in the game. Murphy walked two batters and hit one in the first inning, prompting Johnson to finish the inning. Johnson struck out one batter and only recorded two outs in the game. The rest of the game was thrown by fourth-year pitcher John Arel. Arel went on to collect the win and pitch the final six innings of the game, allowing four hits, two walks and four strikeouts.

The Black Bear offense was on in the finale. UMaine out-hit Hartford 11-4. Bec went 3-4 at the plate in the game, with a double and a stolen base. He hit a solo home run to left field in the seventh inning. Vicens was 2-3 in the game with a double and two runs scored. Doody was 2-3 at the plate with one run batted in and a walk. Kerbs went 2-4 in the game. Pena and Sardinas each went 1-4 in the game with a run batted in. All six runs scored by the Black Bears were driven in by different batters.

The Black Bears return to action at Mahaney Diamond, where they will play a three-game homestand against the University at Albany. The doubleheader begins at noon on Saturday, March 31. Game 3 will take place at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 1. Hartford will play Yale in New Haven, Connecticut on Wednesday, March 28. The game will start at 3:30 p.m.

Maine (3-8) took only the first game in a three-game series in Miami. The Black Bears faced off against the University of Miami Hurricanes and won game one in a 6-1 victory. Fourth-year pitcher Justin Courtney started game one for the Black Bears. The Bangor native was stellar with over six innings pitched. Courtney allowed just one hit and one run, a home run to Miami right fielder Romy Gonzalez. Other than that, Courtney was brilliant on the mound. He struck out 8 batters in the game and walked three.

Courtney would not be the pitcher to pick up the win though. First-year pitcher Matt Geoffrion earned the victory for the Black Bears in 2.1 innings of relief pitching. Geoffrion struck out five of the 11 batters he faced. He walked two and allowed just two hits. Second-year Cody Laweryson struck out one batter in the two thirds of an inning he pitched. The Black Bears struck out 14 Miami batters collectively.

The game was a pitching duel until the sixth inning. The game was scoreless until Gonzalez launched a sixth-inning home run. Miami starting pitcher Jeb Bargfeldt threw 7.1 innings of ball, seven of them scoreless. Bargfeldt allowed six hits, one run, and one walk in his start. The Oklahoma native struck out three batters in his performance.

Maine fourth-year designated hitter Jonathan Bennett led the Black Bear’s offense. The Pensacola, Florida native was 2-4 in the game at the plate for the Black Bears, and drove in two runs as well. Maine fourth-year catcher Christopher Bec was also 2-4 at the plate and drove in two runs. Bec, a Miami native, also drew a walk. Second-year first baseman Cody Pasic went 1-3 with a walk, a run, and an RBI to his credit. Third-year second baseman Caleb Kerbs was 1-3 and scored two runs for the Black Bears.

Maine’s four-run eighth inning was the big shift in the game. The game went from a pitching duel to a slugfest. Miami reliever Andrew Cabezas took the loss without recording an out in the game. Cabezas walked two, allowed two hits, and was charged with three earned runs in the game. The Black Bears showed more patience at the plate with just having batters strike out four times in the game. Miami’s 14 strikeouts as a team was indicative of their offense in the game.

Miami comes out on top after 15 innings of play

Miami squeaked out with a victory in a hard fought 15 inning battle over against UMaine. The Hurricanes tied up the game in the 14th on a wild pitch making the score 5-5. The Black Bears scored in the following half inning on a wild pitch and took a 6-5 lead. The Hurricanes would then score two runs in the bottom of the 15th to win the game.

The Black Bears used six different pitchers in the lengthy game in Miami. Second-year pitcher Trevor DeLaite started the game for Maine. He pitched 2.2 innings, surrendered three hits and one run, walked one and struck out two. The lefty also recorded two wild pitches in 49 pitches thrown in the game. Third-year pitcher Nick Silva pitched 2.2 innings as well for UMaine. The Miami native allowed three hits and two runs, walked one and struck out two batters. Silva also hit three players in the game.

Pitcher Greg Veliz started the game for the Hurricanes. The second-year righty from Key West struck out eight Black Bear batters over four innings of work. He walked five batters and allowed just one run. First-year Daniel Federman was next on the mound for the Hurricanes. Federman pitched two innings, allowed two hits and one run. He struck out two batters.

One highlight in the 15-inning match was Maine pitcher Eddie Emerson. Emerson, a third-year from Lewiston, Maine, struck out 11 batters in 5.1 innings of work. The 6’3 southpaw managed to strike out half of the batters he faced in the game. He walked six batters, threw a game high 106 pitches and allowed just one hit in his brilliant outing. Laweryson was tagged with the loss in the extra innings. He pitched one inning, allowed five hits, walked one, allowed three runs and struck out two.

Bennett was a beast at the plate again. He was 3 for 6 in the game, scored two runs for the Black Bears and was walked twice. Kerbs was 2 for 7 at the plate with three runs batted in. His RBIs were clutch in that his ninth inning RBI tied the game, and his 14th inning RBI took the lead. Second-year outfielder Kevin Doody went 2 for 6 at the plate with a run scored. Bec went 1 for 6 and drew two walks for the Black Bears.

Miami takes final game over Black Bears

Miami took the series tie-breaker in a 7-1 win over the Black Bears. Second-year pitcher Evan McKendry started the game for the Hurricanes. He pitched an absolute gem. McKendry threw six innings, allowed five hits, let up one run and struck out 10 Black Bear batters in the game. His dominance earned him the victory, making his record 2-1 on the season. The Black Bears were blanked by Miami’s pitching on Sunday. Miami fourth-year pitcher Michael Mediavilla struck out two batters over two innings of relief work. He walked one batter and allowed just one hit. Fourth-year Cooper Hammond pitched the last inning for the Hurricanes, allowing two hits to the five batters he faced.

Third-year pitcher Chris Murphy picked up his third loss of the season for the Black Bears. The Massachusetts native pitched 4.1 innings, walked six, allowed six runs on four hits and struck out four batters. He threw 97 pitches in the game and hit two batters. Fourth-year pitcher John Arel relieved Murphy in the fifth inning. Arel pitched 2.2 innings, allowed four hits, hit two batters and struck out three. First-year infielder Ben Terwilliger made an appearance on the mound for the Black Bears. The New York native allowed one run on two hits, walked two and struck out a batter in his inning of work.

Maine fourth-year centerfielder Brandon Vicens hit well in the game. The Florida native was 2 for 2 at the plate with a triple and a double. He also drew three of the Black Bear’s four walks. Third-year designated hitter Danny Casals was 2-4 at the plate. Bennett went 0-3 with a strikeout, but drew a walk and scored a run. Doody was 1-4 at the plate with a strikeout.

The Black Bears will return to action Friday, March 9. They will begin a four game series with University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, Texas. The Vaqueros have won their last two games and are currently sporting a 7-4 record. Maine will look to better their record before conference games begin March 24. Miami will go on to play Florida International University on Wednesday March 7 at 7 p.m.

The University of Maine softball team won three of their five games played this weekend in Wilmington, North Carolina. Game 1 was an 11-1 victory for the Black Bears over Bucknell University of Pennsylvania.

Third-year third baseman Alyssa Derrick started the offense early for the Black Bears with a first inning RBI double. Third-year Maddie Decker joined in on hitting with a triple, driving in Derrick. Third-year Meghan Royle singled in Decker to give the Black Bears an early 3-0 lead.

UMaine fourth-year Molly Flowers started the game in the circle for the Black Bears. She pitched two innings of no-hit softball and struck out four batters. First-year Lilly Volk relieved Flowers and threw a no-hit inning to follow and struck out one batter. First-year Kyleigh O’Donnell pitched two innings, and fourth-year Annie Kennedy finished the game with one inning pitched. Maine pitching allowed just two hits and one run in the game.

Derrick maintained the offensive pace for the Black Bears. She went 2-3 in the contest with three runs batted in. Fourth-year Rachel Carlson drove in three runs in the game as well.

Only five of Maine’s 11 runs came from hits. Two walks resulted in runs due to strong patience at the plate by Derrick and fourth-year Erika Leonard. Two runs were scored on a sixth inning error by Bucknell. The Black Bears strong offensive opening shined and kept the runs coming with patience at the plate and tenacity on the basepaths.

Maine drops game 2

Maine dropped Game 2 to University of North Carolina Wilmington. The host team won the game 3-1. Impressive pitching stunned the Black Bears, as Wilmington fourth-year Rylee Pate threw a seven-inning complete game. She allowed six hits in the game, walked one and allowed one unearned run. Pate forced the Black Bears into eight flyouts, seven groundouts and struck out four of the 29 batters she faced.

Maine pitching was split between four players. Kennedy started the game for the Black Bears. She threw two innings, allowed three hits, one run and struck out two batters. O’Donnell was tagged with the loss in the game after relieving Kennedy. O’Donnell pitched two innings, giving up three hits and allowing two runs. The first-year pitcher picked up one strikeout in the effort. Volk and Flowers combined for two shutout innings of relief after replacing O’Donnell. Flowers allowed one hit, struck out two batters and walked one.

Carlson had the hottest bat for the Black Bears in the contest. The leadoff hitter went 3-4 with a double. Third-year Maddie Decker, first-year Maddie Kimble, and second-year Emily Gilmore each reached base with singles in the game.

Maine comes out on top in game 3

Maine took the Game 3 rematch with University of North Carolina Wilmington with a victory. The Black Bears won the game 5-1. Flowers and Kennedy pitched the Black Bears to the win in a combined effort. Flowers started the game and pitched four innings. She allowed four hits, one unearned run and struck out four batters. Annie Kennedy followed with strong support as a reliever. Kennedy pitched three innings of one hit ball and picked up the save. She struck out two batters.

Wilmington’s starting pitcher, fourth-year Sarah Davies, pitched a herculean effort despite collecting the loss. The Burlington, North Carolina native threw 136 pitches in a seven-inning complete game outing. Davies struck out nine of the 31 Black Bears she faced in the contest. Davies allowed six hits and five runs. Of the five runs earned, only two were earned by Davies. She also walked three batters in the game.

Maine’s offense was once again led by Carlson. The leadoff hitter went 3-4 in the game and scored two runs. She hit a triple and stole a base in the game as well. Carlson also managed to escape the Sarah Davies strikeout squad. Six different Black Bear batters went down by way of the K in the game. Derrick and Leonard drove in two of Maine’s five runs.

The game was close in score until the Black Bear’s three-run seventh inning. Maine held a 2-1 lead for four innings of the game. A seventh inning throwing error by Wilmington resulted in two runs for the Black Bears and the lead was preserved for the rest of the match.

Maine finishes Saturday game with split weekend

Maine lost their Saturday rematch with Bucknell University. In their fourth game of the weekend, Maine was shut out 3-0 by the Bison. Bucknell fourth-year Taylor Langtry twirled a gem, throwing a complete game seven-inning shutout. The Black Bears were able to muster just two hits against her in the game, and failed to put a run on the scoreboard. Langtry struck out four and walked four. She threw 113 pitches in the game.

The Black Bears pitching staff answered with their own strong pitching before allowing three runs in the fifth inning. O’Donnell started the game for the Black Bears. She threw four innings of no-hit softball and allowed just one walk. She struck out three of the 13 batters she faced and forced seven groundouts. Volk was charged with the loss after allowing three runs in the fifth. She recorded two innings pitched and struck out two as well.

Langtry’s dominant pitching was enough to sustain Bucknell’s victory. She forced the Black Bears into 13 groundouts and just four flyouts. Derrick and first-year Amanda Vee recorded the only two hits for the Black Bears.

Maine wins in walk-off

Maine softball won their fifth game of the weekend in walk-off fashion. The Black Bears defeated Longwood University 6-4. UMaine entered the seventh losing 4-3. Decker smacked a three-run home run to give the Black Bears the victory. Decker was 1-2 with a walk in the game.

The Black Bears fought tooth and nail over the match that saw three lead changes. Flowers started the game for UMaine. She pitched two innings, allowed one run over two hits, and struck out two batters. O’Donnell relieved Flowers and threw one inning, allowing three runs and two walks. O’Donnell managed to strike out two batters in her one inning of work. The Black Bears’ pitching was saved by Kennedy, who pitched four innings of no-hit softball. She recorded one hit-by-pitch that ended her perfect outing status. In the five games she pitched in this weekend, she threw 11 innings, allowed five hits, struck out seven batters and allowed just one run. She recorded one win and one save in her work in North Carolina.

Carlson had the hot bat in the game. The center fielder went 3-4 with an RBI and a run scored. First-year Shanna Scribner went 1-2 in the game. Fourth-year Sarah Coyne went 1-1 with a run scored as well.

Longwood’s pitching duties were split between first-year Sydney Backstrom and third-year Sydney Gay. Backstrom threw 4.2 innings, allowed three runs, walked two and struck out one. Gay pitched 1.2 innings and was handed the loss after allowing the walk-off homer to Maddie Decker. Gay walked three batters in the game.

The Black Bears will return to action Friday, March 2. They will play a five game series in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Following their work in Oklahoma, they will travel to Tampa, Florida for a stretch of 13 games. Longwood will travel to the Aloha Tournament in in Honolulu, Hawaii. They start tournament play on Thursday, March 1 against University of Texas El Paso at 8:30 p.m.

Matt Hammond: “You guys are still competing very well, killing it hitting wise. I see that was an improvement from past years.”  

Coach Mike Coutts: “Last two years we’ve played in the championship game. We won the championship two years ago, you know we don’t let our weather determine what we do or not. It’s a challenge, we can’t change it, it is what it is. We kind of use it as something to help motivate us. We don’t let that [weather] be an excuse for us.”

MH: “You guys have eight graduating seniors this year, you guys just got 10 recruits there. What were you looking in those people characteristically?”

CC: “The first thing that attracts us to them [recruits] is how they are academically. They have to be really good academically. We try to get kids who are good students first because it just makes recruiting them easier. Then obviously then you look at their character and what kind of skill they have. Just kids that are athletic and versatile that can play multiple positions that are good athletes and so forth. You know the reality is we’re not getting bluechip players, they’re going to the Power Five schools. So we look for girls who are good athletes that we can turn into good softball players. That class we have coming in is a really good class and we’re anxious to get them here but we gotta get through this year first, so we’ll worry about them next fall.”

MH: “I think academics is a good precursor to a person’s personality and what they’re going to get into. That’s a good marker of their work ethic.”

CC: “Yeah, no question. You don’t have to worry about them here. You know they have time management under control and they’re committed to things they want to accomplish and so forth. When they’re here we don’t have to worry about them in the classroom, we know they’re going to be good academically.

MH: “I saw you even had the highest fall GPA in 29 years, that’s something to hang your hat on already.”

CC: “Absolutely, we expect a lot out of them. We expect a lot of them on the field and off the field. We’re proud of the fact that we try to be champions in everything we do. It makes being able to go to the field everyday fun.”

MH: “The team has been posting double-digit win totals since you’ve become head coach, what would you consider your philosophy and direction?”

CC: “Just holding the kids accountable. Making them realize they can accomplish so much, and it’s about developing strong females that have confidence in a family atmosphere. Being accountable to each other, being selfless. We spend a lot of time on our culture and chemistry. It’s part of practice everyday. It’s probably that along with the mental game. It’s probably 15-20 minutes we work on those two things before we even pick up a ball. It’s nice to be around people who are positive people who are givers. We always talk about being the greatest teammate ever and what that means. If we can get all of those things in line, then the playing piece becomes an easy piece. They’ve been good, they’ve embraced it. More evident than last year when we went to the tournament and had to suspend a couple of players and we went to the tournament without our starting catcher and one of our pitchers and still got to the championship game. You don’t do that if you don’t have good culture and good chemistry, and kids that want to play for each other. I was just as proud of them as I was of the team the year before that won the championship. It’s all about the girls, getting them responsible. I played here at Maine, I coached baseball here at Maine. I had an unbelievable experience and I want them to have the same thing I had.

MH: “Do your job, yeah?”

CC: “Yeah, same as Bill. Next person up.”

MH: “So Maine’s currently tied for second in a preseason poll, do you pay any attention to that?”

CC: “No, you know last year we were picked first. I think it just tells you that your program was respected by people, not that you thought you were gonna win or anything. It told us that our program is in a good place. You know we came in second, I think it’s another indication that the program’s going in the right direction and we’re in a good place.”

MH: “Last year’s pitching was great, ERA was low. What do you think your wife’s [Coach Lynn Coutts] been focusing on with pitchers going into this season?”

CC: “Lynn and Jordan [Fitzpatrick] are just getting the girls to compete. We have two freshmen coming in this year who haven’t played in college, the importance of locating balls. Getting your screwball in a certain spot, your rise ball here, your curveball there and understanding you’re not gonna be perfect. You’re gonna get hit. You’re gonna leave a ball over the plate, someone’s gonna crush it. You’re probably not accustomed to that. So it’s just more about understanding how the college game is played and them being able to to compete. And have good body language no matter what’s going on. I always say to the girls, “When someone comes to the game they should not know if we’re winning or losing. They should know we play hard no matter what the score is.”

MH: “Batting average is up from past years, and seems to keep going up. How can you guys get any better?”

CC: “I think it’s the consistency of our practices and what we’re doing in practice that makes it that way. Understanding the mental game and having an approach and having a plan when you get to the plate. Not letting a bad call by the umpire in your first at bat bother you. Understand that every pitch has got it’s own history and stay in the moment. We’ve done some different things. We’re working with a hitting device called the V-Flex that helps you recognize pitches quicker. We bought a program called GameSense that is pitch recognition. We’re trying to more things with our eyes and our brain than in the past where we’ve done a lot on mechanics, we’re working more on the brain piece and the vision piece that will allow the physical part to just kind of take place. We pay attention to what the Power Five schools are doing. It’s like alright, why can’t we do that? Might never play like them, but at least we’re on the cutting edge of things that are taking change in our industry.

MH: “What do you want to see the team do better this season than they did last season?”

CC: “One of the things we’ve talked about is if one thing went bad, it kind of snowballed. So it’s  being able to recognize that we made a mistake, not a big deal, don’t let it turn into another bad play. We talk a lot about body language and having great body language all the time. Your body language affects how you think, we’re working on being present. Don’t go back, don’t look too far ahead, stay present. Then the third thing we’ve been working on is breathing. Just taking a deep breath, being able to be in the moment. Understanding how the breath can get you present, trying to get all of those things together. Our goal every year is to get to the tournament and be at our best at the tournament. The reality is we’re probably not gonna win a whole lot of games early because we do have to come out of the dome and everyone else has played. Working on those things and making sure when the tournament’s here we’re really at our best physically, emotionally, and mentally so that we can win the tournament.”

Men’s Track and Field Recap

The University of Maine men’s track and field team scored 23 points and took ninth place in the 2018 New England Indoor Track Championship in Boston. Twenty-four teams participated in the event and Boston-based Northeastern University won the event with 164 points. University of Connecticut closely followed Northeastern with 162.33 points.

Maine fourth-year Jacob Johns won the mile race with a 4:07:04 time, edging out Sacred Heart’s fourth-year Trevor Guerrera. Guerrera posted a 4:07:61. Maine first-year John Hassett finished in sixth place with a 4:11:02 time. Johns and Hassett’s strong outings gave Maine 13 of their 23 points. Maine third-year Andrew Willingham placed third in the 3,000-meter run. The Farmington, Maine native posted a 8:29:83 time.

Maine fourth-year Garrett Johnson and second-year Camden Cleathero placed seventh and eighth in the heptathlon. Cleathero won the 60-meter dash, placed fifth in the high jump and sixth for the hurdles. Johnson won the 1,000-meter run, placed second in the pole vault and came in third in the 60-meter dash for the Black Bears.

Maine fourth-years Benjamin Davis and Mozai Nelson placed 10th and 12th in the 60-meter dash preliminaries. Nelson also came in 11th place in the 200-meter dash. First-year Ethan Orach placed 13th out of 28 runners in the 800-meter run. The Gorham, Maine native posted a 1:56:76 time. The winner, University of Massachusetts Amherst third-year Brian Gendron, ran a 1:52:68.

UConn third-year Malik Snead won the long jump with 7.55 meter finish. Maine first-year Elijah White placed 11th and recorded a 6.86 meter jump. Maine second-year Troy Davis placed 18th with a 6.60 meter finish.

Northeastern fourth-year Ryan Kim won the shot put with 17.82 meter throw. Northeastern had three top ten finishes in the shot put, giving them 17 points for the shot put event. Maine fourth-year Thomas Murray placed 13th with a throw of 14.71 meters. Maine fourth-year and local celebrity Adam Lufkin placed 20th in the event, posting a throw of 13.61 meters.

The Black Bears will host the rival University of New Hampshire Wildcats Saturday Feb. 10 in Orono, Maine, while some of the team will participate in the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston.

Women’s track and field places 20th at championship

The Maine Women’s track and field team placed 20th, with nine points, at the Indoor Track Championship in Boston. Northeastern University won the meet, scoring 130.5 points as a team. Dartmouth secured second place with 89.50 points. Boston College closely followed suit with 84 points.

Second-year Tiffany Tanner of Brunswick, Maine, placed fourth in the 800-meter run. Third-year Molly McCabe of Boston College won the event with a 2:14:19 finish. Boston College fourth-year Shannon Ahern closely followed McCabe with a 2:14:20 finish. UMaine fourth-year Kaitlin Saulter placed 13th and recorded a 2:17:89 in the race. Fourth-year Kelsey Maxim placed 19th in the race for the Black Bears.

Maine third-year Lauren Magnuson placed fifth in the 200-meter dash. Second-year Cha’Mia Rothwell of Dartmouth won the event with a 24:43 finish. Third-year Patrice Williams of Northeastern was runner-up of the event and recorded a 25:13 time. Dartmouth third-year Nicole Deblasio finished in third place with a time of 25:18.

The 3,000-meter run was won by first-year Kaitlyn Mooney of the Coast Guard Academy. She ran a 9:53:71. Second-year Jenna Gasparrini of Holy Cross came in second with a 9:58:18. Fourth-year Kate Svensen of Sacred Heart came in third with a 10:00:15 finish. Maine third-year Haley Lawrence placed 21st with a 10:28:30 finish.

Dartmouth second-year Julia Valenti won the pole vault competition. Valenti’s teammate first-year Brooke Brunnet came in third place. Maine third-year Taylor Lenentine tied for 19th place with University of Rhode Island first-year Jessica Ippolito.

UMass Amherst first-year Ivana Nyemeck won the triple jump event with a 12.11 meter finish. American International College second-year Dahsia Middlebrooks followed with a 12.05 meter jump. Northeastern University first-year Shraeya Srinivasan rounded out the top three with a 11.78 meter jump. Maine first-year Anna Schumann came in 13th place with a 11.26 finish.

The shot put event was won by Northeastern second-year Leeyan Redwood. Redwood threw an impressive 14.75 meters. UMass Amherst first-year Danielle Notarfrancesco followed Redwood with a 14.47 meter throw. Redwood’s teammate third year Priscilla Senoo recorded a 13.82 toss. Maine fourth-year Rachel Bergeron placed 17th in the event with a throw of 12.08 meters. Bergeron also placed 11th in the weight throw. UMaine first-year Alice Barnsdale placed 17th with a throw of 15.16 meters.

Maine will be competing in the David Hemery Valentine Invitational on Friday, Feb. 9 and will follow that with a dual meet against UNH on Saturday, Feb. 10.

After dropping their last four decisions, the UMaine Black Bears (5-18) won in heroic fashion at the hands of fourth-year guard Aaron Calixte. With just 23 seconds left in the game, Calixte hit a contested three-pointer to give the Black Bears the lead.

“Just make the play for the team man. We work in every practice. That moment I had to make one for my team,” Calixte said after the game. The guard scored 24 points, a career best, in the game. He was 9 of 20 from the field and 3 of 9 from beyond the arc. Following Calixte’s impressive 24 point outing, second-year forward Andrew Fleming scored 15 points and was a perfect 5 of 5 from the free-throw line.

The Black Bears were a perfect 12 for 12 from the line as a team.

“Every practice, lots of shots, man. Coach emphasizes that so much. Every practice we shoot maybe a hundred free throws,” Calixte said about the team’s foul shooting.

The UNH shooters struggled at the foul line as they were 9 of 15, a dismal 60 percent.

Regular starters Calixte and Fleming were leading the offense, but it was Maine third-year guard Vernon Lowndes Jr. who stole the show. Lowndes Jr. scored 15 points off the bench. He shot  a game best 6 for 8 from the field and a perfect 3 for 3 from the three-point line.

Representing the Black Bears on the defensive end was second-year guard Isaiah White, who collected a season-high 13 rebounds.

“He’s huge every game. The sky’s the limit for him. He has so much energy, so much bounce. He’s great,” Calixte said of his teammate on the performance.

On top of the 13 rebounds, White recorded two steals, a block and chipped in on the offense with eight points. He also contributed two of the team’s 12 perfect free-throws.

“Overall, great effort from the team. Tonight, we had a different kind of energy. We got down a little bit and kept making tough plays down the stretch, Andrew and Ilya. It was a big effort from everyone,” Calixte said.

UNH fourth-year forward Tanner Leissner carried the offense for the Wildcats. While second-year guard John Ogwuche lead the team with 19 points, the 6-foot-7 Texas-native Leissner scored 18 points, collected a team best five rebounds, and dished a team best three assists.

New Hampshire will take on Binghamton on Saturday from Vestal, NY.

Black Bear men’s lose in Baltimore

The Black Bears lost to the University of Maryland Baltimore County (15-8) in Baltimore 74-86. Following an exciting win against UNH on Wednesday, Maine failed to capitalize away. UMBC maintained their elite home field advantage by extending their undefeated stretch at home to an impressive 11 games.

This weekend it was White who carried the Black Bear offense. White scored a team best 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the contest. White was efficient from the floor as he shot 9 of 12 from the field, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. He also snagged two steals, dished three assists, recorded no turnovers and played a strong 32 minutes before fouling out late in the game.

Calixte improved on shot conversion in this game compared to his 9 of 20, 24-point outing on Wednesday. Calixte made 6 of his 9 shot attempts, including a perfect two for two from beyond the arc. He tied White for a team best of three assists. Calixte had 14 points in the game and played a game high 37 minutes.

Without a doubt the star of the game was UMBC guard Jairus Lyles. Lyles, a UMBC graduate student, scored a game high 34 points in the contest. Lyles was a brilliant 7 of 11 on 3-pointers, a season best for the guard. He averages 21.1 points per game, a team high. Lyles also grabbed six rebounds, four steals and two assists.

UMaine maintained their strong free-throw shooting by beating UMBC at the line. The Black Bears followed up a perfect 12 for 12 team shooting against UNH by going 10 of 14 in the game, while the Retrievers shot a mediocre 9-18 foul shots.

Fleming scored 12 points in the game. He was 6 of 12 from the field, and collected seven rebounds. Impressively, four of Fleming’s rebounds were recorded on offense. He also chipped in on dishes by handing out two assists. Lowndes Jr. added to the offense by scoring nine points off the bench and grabbing five boards in the game.

The Black Bears return to action Wednesday, Jan. 31 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. They face off against University of Massachusetts Lowell at 7 p.m. The UMass Riverhawks are 8-13 this season and most recently lost to the Hartford Hawks. Following the match against UMass Lowell, the Black Bears will play a second home game on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. They will face Binghamton University (10-13), who most recently lost to the UNH Wildcats.

Both Black Bear swim teams struggled this weekend at the Maine State Meet at Bowdoin College. The UMaine women placed third out of the four schools participating; in first place was Bates College, in second place Bowdoin College and in fourth place Colby College. The men saw less success as the Black Bears finished in fourth place. Bates took first place, Bowdoin placed second and Colby College secured the third place position.

In the 47th event, UMaine fourth-year and Florida native Chloe Adams won the women’s 1,000-yard freestyle. She also managed to place third in the women’s 200-yard freestyle. UMaine second-year Hawthorne Swan-Scott IV won in the 1,000-yard freestyle in the men’s category.

Maine’s second-year Sabrina Nuttall secured a first place finish in the women’s 100-yard breastroke. Nuttall’s teammate and second-year Emma Blair finished in fifth place in the race.

Black Bear first-year Jack McNamara won event 36, the men’s 200-yard breastroke. He edged out Bates’ Alex Bedard with just a quarter of a second margin.

Event 41 was another victory for the Black Bears. The women’s 400-yard freestyle relay was won by fourth-year Emily Borger, second-year Rita Chen, fourth-year Juliana McDonald and Blair.

UMaine second-year and Bangor native Kyle Adams won the one meter diving competition.

The 27th event, the women’s 100-yard backstroke, saw Bates College swimmers in the first four positions. Following the block of Bates students, McDonald clinched fifth place. Her teammates, first-year Caroline Strolic and Borger, secured sixth and seventh place in the race.

Blair came in fifth place in event 5, the women’s 50-meter butterfly. Fourth-year Victoria Kingston finished in seventh place.

UMaine first-year Hayden Kasavicha placed third in the men’s 50-yard backstroke. He followed first place fourth-year Riley Ewing of Bates College and second-year Xander Geiersbach of Colby College.

First-year Lynsie Russell came in third place in the women’s 400-yard individual medley. She followed Bowdoin students third-year Sterling Dixon and first-year Claire Wolff. After finishing second in the 400-yard IM, Bowdoin’s Wolff won the women’s 200-yard breastroke. UMaine third-year Emma Blackdeer was the runner-up in the race.

UMaine swimming and diving return to action Saturday, Jan. 20 at Bowdoin College.

Saturday, Sept. 28, the America East Conference cross country championship was held at the University of Vermont. Nine schools were in attendance; Albany, Binghamton, Hartford, Maine, University of Massachusetts Lowell, the  University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), the University of Vermont (UVM), the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and Stony Brook. In the women’s division, UMaine took 7th place out of the 9, with UNH taking the title with 37 points. Their counterparts in the men’s division placed 5th overall, with Stony Brook taking the top spot with a score of 40.

The contest consisted of a 5K for the women and an 8K for the men. In the combined events, 165 students ran for their schools. Fourth-year Elinor Purrier of UNH placed first overall for the women’s race with a 16:45.9 time. Her 5:34.5 average was also a race best. Purrier has also won each of her three races this season.

Maine third-year Kaitlyn Saulter recorded the best score in the women’s race for the Black Bears. Placing 17th overall, she ran the race in 18:19.3. Saulter shaved nearly a minute off of her race time from her last effort earlier this month at the NEICAAA Cross Country Championship in Boston. Following Saulter’s score of 17 for the Black Bears, next to place was third-year Haley Lawrence with a time of 18:36. Maine’s fourth-year Cassandra Howard placed 54th overall while first-year Emma Jourdain placed 60th out of the 84 participants.

In the men’s division, UMass Lowell third-year Paul Hogan secured a first place finish with an impressive 24:09.8 time. Hogan posted an average mile time of 4:51.8. The next best average mile finish time was 4:58.1. Hogan turned on the jets in second half of the rest of the meet. After posting a 9:44.5 for the first half, he ran the remainder of the race in 9:02.3. The next best finish for the second half of the race was 9:23.4.

In the men’s division, Maine third-year Aaron Willingham secured 5th place out of the 81 runners participating. His 5:00.3 average for the mile was the best average for the Black Bears. Next to place for the Black Bears was fourth-year Logan Moses with 18th overall.  The Messalonskee-alum, Moses managed to set a 8K personal record with a 25:45.7 in the 4.97 mile race. Third-years Daniel Lesko and Simon Powhida each placed 39th and 41st respectively in the division.

The 2017 World Series matchup has yet to be decided. It has come down to a pennant race between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees in the American League, and the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs in the National League. Each team this postseason has a veteran on their staff looking to etch their name in the record books.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have the youngest veteran of the four discussed. At the ripe age of 36, outfielder Curtis Granderson has seen 14 MLB seasons with four teams. With 319 career home runs and three all-star game selections, Granderson has been in search of the one thing all veterans in his position seek: a ring. Granderson is no stranger to the fall classic: his 2006 Detroit Tigers and 2015 New York Mets both fell short in their respective series. Granderson’s highlights include the entirety of his 2011 season with the New York Yankees. In that season, Granderson stole 25 bases, hit 41 home runs and led the league in runs batted in (119) and runs scored (136).

Granderson’s veteran adversary in the National League Championship Series (NLCS) is 38-year-old pitcher John Lackey. Lackey, a 2016 World Series Champion, hopes to repeat the feat with the rest of the Chicago Cubs. Lackey is among active MLB World Series champion leaders with three rings. However, Lackey is the only active MLB player to win three rings on three different teams (2002 Anaheim Angels, 2013 Boston Red Sox and 2016 Chicago Cubs). Lackey’s performance in the 2002 postseason is noted among the strongest rookie efforts in playoff sports. The 23-year-old right hander won a highly publicized Game 7 some 15 years ago. Statistically, John Lackey’s best season was with the 2007 Angels. The competitive Texan posted a 19-9 record and led the league with a 3.01 earned run average.

The American League pennant race has its share of veteran strength, namely Game 3 winning pitcher C.C. Sabathia. The 37-year-old lefty made his MLB debut in 2001 at the age of 20. Sabathia went 17-5 and finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year race behind expected Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki. Since then, Sabathia has pitched his way to a Cy Young Award (2007), a World Series Championship (2009 New York Yankees) and amassed a career record of 237-146. In 17 seasons, Sabathia has pitched 3,317 innings and struck out 2,846 batters. He is the active career leader in both categories. After posting three consecutive losing seasons, Sabathia proved to be capable in 2017 by posting a 14-5 record. The workhorse hopes to win his second World Series after a stellar comeback season. Sabathia has a career postseason record of 10-5.

The oldest player this postseason is Astros designated hitter Carlos Beltran. The 40-year-old has spent half of his life playing in the MLB. In 20 seasons at the professional level, Beltran has been on 9 all-star teams (2004-2007, 2009, 2011-2013, 2016) and won three Gold Glove awards (2006-2008). In 1999, as a member of the Kansas City Royals, the 22-year-old Beltran recorded 194 hits, 22 home runs, 27 stolen bases and 108 runs batted in. He was selected as the 1999 AL Rookie of the Year for his efforts. Beltran has enjoyed a lengthy career that has dipped into three decades (1990s, 2000s and 2010s). His 2004 season may be his strongest. Spending the season split between the Kansas City Royals before being traded to the Houston Astros at the all-star break, Beltran smashed 38 home runs, 160 hits, 104 runs batted in and set a career high with 42 stolen bases. He signed with the New York Mets following that season and spent seasons with the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers before returning to Houston this season. He has a career total of 2,725 hits, 435 home runs, 312 stolen bases and 1,587 runs batted in.