The University at Albany Great Danes took full advantage of a bullpen implosion by the University of Maine on Sunday, rallying from a 6-2 deficit to beat the Black Bears 9-7 in the rubber game of their best-of-three America East series at Varsity Field in Albany on Sunday afternoon.
UMaine won the opener of their doubleheader on Saturday 8-4, before the Great Danes pounded the Black Bears 17-7 in the nightcap.
Albany is now 3-16 overall and 3-2 in America East, while defending America East champ UMaine fell to 5-18 and 2-4, respectively.
UMaine pitchers walked 24 Great Danes in the two losses.
In the series finale, Albany used a five-run fifth-inning rally to erase a four-run deficit and then broke a 7-7 tie with a single run in the seventh inning and added an insurance run in the eighth.
Albany’s game-winning run in the seventh came off singles by Thomas McElwee and John Vitucci followed by a pair of walks which forced in the run.
In the eighth, Jared Toby singled in Luke Filippi, who had singled and stolen second.
Albany’s fifth-inning rally came at the expense of relievers Gabe Gifford and Colton Carson.
Gifford came on in relief of starter Luc Lavigueur at the outset of the fifth and walked the first two hitters he faced. Will Binder singled home a run and Filippi walked to end Gifford’s outing.
Carson came on and issued a bases-loaded walk to Toby to force in a run and make it 6-4.
He struck out the next two hitters but then uncorked a pair of wild pitches to produce the fifth and sixth runs before Anthony Scarabino gave Albany the lead with an RBI single.
UMaine tied it in the sixth on a walk to Jeremiah Jenkins and an RBI double by Zach Martin.
McElwee paced the Great Danes with three hits, including a double. Binder tripled and singled and drove in a run and Filippi singled twice and drove in two runs.
Dylan Banner tossed four innings of one-hit, one-run relief to pick up the win. He struck out four and walked one.
Martin had a double and two singles for UMaine and delivered two runs; White had two singles and an RBI, which was his sixth of the weekend; and Jack Friend had a two-run double.
Lavigueur threw four innings of three-hit two-run baseball, but the bullpen allowed seven earned runs on seven hits, seven walks and two wild pitches.
On Saturday, the Black Bears took the seven-inning first game behind senior left fielder White’s three runs batted in and a complete game six-hitter from sophomore righty Gianni Gambardella.
UMaine scored all eight runs in the first four innings to build an 8-0 lead before Albany answered with a four-run fourth inning.
But Gambardella didn’t allow another run to earn his first win of the season in six decisions.
The 2023 All-America East first team and Rookie team selection allowed six hits and four runs, two earned, with seven strikeouts and two walks.
Jenkins’ 10th homer of the season, a solo short to center field, staked UMaine to a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
UMaine added three more apiece in the second and third innings and its final run in the fourth.
Friend’s run-scoring single and a two-run single by White made it 4-0 in the second before a bases-loaded walk to Jake Marquez, a wild pitch and White’s sacrifice fly produced the third-inning runs.
Will Burns’ sacrifice fly expanded the lead in the fourth.
Myles Sargent had three singles and scored two runs for the Black Bears. Friend had two singles and also scored twice.
Filippi and Binder each had a double and a single and scored a run for Albany.
In the nightcap, junior first baseman Ryan Ferremi belted his second homer of the season and also had three doubles to lead the Great Danes to the win.
Albany built a 12-0 lead through the first three innings.
Albany scored four times in the first inning, receiving a two-run single from Vitucci, an RBI single from McElwee and a double from Ferremi.
Four walks, a wild pitch and a run-producing groundout by McElwee made it 7-0 in the second, and Albany tacked on five more in the third inning.
Vitucci had a double to go with his single in the game and drove in three runs. Filippi had two hits and scored three times, and McElwee and Toby each had a hit and two RBIs.
Rigthander Owen Birkman allowed seven hits and four runs over six innings to notch his first win of the season after five losses.
Jenkins had a double and a single for UMaine and drove in a run. White and Zach Martin each hit their second homers of the season. Martin also had a base hit.
White knocked in three runs and Martin had two RBIs.
UMaine freshman Jason Krieger lasted just two innings and took the loss.
UMaine’s pitching staff issued 15 walks.
UMaine will host the University of Maine at Farmington in a non-conference game on Wednesday at 3 p.m. before playing its first America East home series when it entertains the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Friday (3 p.m.), Saturday (1 p.m.) and Sunday (noon).
Albany visits Siena for a non-conference game on Tuesday before hosting Bryant for a three-game America East series next weekend.
