The bats went silent.
After averaging eight runs and 12 ½ hits in their first four America East tournament games, the University of Maine’s baseball team were held to just four hits by the Binghamton University Bearcats on Saturday night at Bearcats Baseball Complex in Vestal, New York. The Bearcats beat the Black Bears 7-3, their second straight conference title and third in five years.
The Bearcats, who are 31-20 and tied the school record for wins in a season, became the first home team to win the America East Tournament in 15 years and the first team to win back-to-back titles since the 2013 and ‘14 Binghamton teams.
Top seed Binghamton went 3-0 in the tournament including a pivotal 6-5 winners bracket victory over UMaine on Friday in which it scored two runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to win it.
Third seed UMaine went 3-2 in the tourney and finished up at 24-32.
Binghamton sophomore and righthander Brady Lesiak, who came into the game with an 8.04 earned run average and having allowed 25 hits and 10 walks in just 15 ⅔ innings on the campaign, tossed 3 ⅓ innings of one-hit, scoreless relief to earn his second win in as many decisions. He struck out two and didn’t walk anyone and retired the first nine hitters he faced.
Junior Jake Dally finished up to earn his first save, allowing two hits and two runs in three innings with a walk and a strikeout.
With his pitching staff depleted by having to play its fifth game in four days and with three-time All-America East pitcher Gianni Gambardella dealing with back issues, UMaine head coach Nick Derba started freshman Rex Hauser, who had just six appearances spanning nine innings and who hadn’t pitched since May 12.
Steven Kraus staked Binghamton to a 1-0 lead with his sixth homer of the season in the first inning, but UMaine’s Brody Rasmussen tied it with his fifth homer in the top of the third.
The Bearcats took the lead for good with three runs in the bottom of the third.
A throwing error by UMaine third baseman Troy Carpenter followed by Matt Bolton’s two-run homer accounted for the first two runs.
Two outs later, Hauser was replaced by Jack Donlin. A walk, a wild pitch and Zach Anderson’s RBI double expanded the lead to 4-1.
In the sixth inning, Binghamton added an unearned run off Tommy Martin on a hit batsman, a wild pitch, a sacrifice and an error by shortstop Chris Bear.
The Bearcats added two more in the eighth off Owen Wheeler on singles by Zack Kent and Kraus, a sacrifice, a walk and Tim Hennig’s two-run double.
The Black Bears scored twice in the ninth on Nolan DeAndrade’s run-scoring double and Quinn Murphy’s RBI single. But it was too little, too late for UMaine.
Sophomore center fielder and tournament Most Valuable Player Bolton had a double and single to go with his homer and he drove in two runs. Sophomore first baseman Kraus was the other repeat hitter with his homer and single. Kraus joined Bolton on the all-tourney team along with redshirt sophomore third baseman Hennig and junior pitcher Conner Griffin.
The only other Black Bear to hit safely besides Rasmussen, DeAndrade and Murphy was Hunter St. Denis with a base hit.
Sophomore left fielder Murphy and freshman first baseman and America East Rookie of the Year St. Denis were selected to the all-tournament team along with senior relief pitcher Pierce Friedman.
Murphy and St. Denis each hit safely in all five games. Murphy went 9-for-23 with four doubles and seven RBIs and he also scored three times. St. Denis went 8-for-19 with a homer, two RBIs and six runs scored.
Friedman went 1-0 and allowed one earned run over 8 ⅓ innings in two outings. He struck out three and walked two.
