The pitching-thin UMaine baseball team finally received a solid performance from a starting pitcher on Sunday afternoon against Rider University but the bullpen woes continued as Rider completed a non-conference sweep with a 13-2 victory at Mahaney Diamond in Orono.
The New Jersey-based Broncos beat UMaine 13-4 on Friday and 9-8 on Saturday.
Rider has now won four straight and six of its last seven and improved to 19-16.
The Broncs went 36-21 a year ago, won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament and upset No. 10 Coastal Carolina 11-10 in the opening round of an NCAA regional before losing to No. 2 Duke 2-1 and then to Coastal Carolina 13-5 in an elimination game.
UMaine, the reigning America East champ and NCAA Tournament participant, fell to 8-26 after losing its sixth straight.
The Black Bears have given up 79 runs in those six losses and have allowed at least 11 runs in five of their last seven games.
Sophomore righthander Luc Lavigueur allowed only two runs on seven hits over six innings of work with five strikeouts and two walks.
But the Broncs broke a 2-2 tie with three unearned runs in the seventh without the benefit of a hit.
Gabe Gifford came on to pitch in the seventh and Matt Leahy opened the inning by reaching on first baseman Jeremiah Jenkins’ error.
Richie Sica sacrificed him to second and Leahy went to third on a passed ball. Gifford struck out the next hitter but two hit batsmen and two walks forced in the first two runs before a passed ball plated the third run after Marshall Smaracko had come on in relief.
Smaracko and Blaine Cockburn were touched up for six runs in the eighth as Joe Tiroly and Kyle Neri each walloped their fifth homers of the season with Tiroly’s being a two-run shot. Luke Lesch added a two-run double.
Brian Skettini had his sixth homer and also had a base hit for the Broncs. Lesch had two doubles with Sica and Anthony Paskell collecting two singles apiece.
Christian Aiello came on in relief of Clayton Poliey in the sixth inning and tossed four innings of no-hit shutout ball to earn the win. He is now 3-1.
Will Burns had two doubles and an RBI for UMaine.
On Saturday, Skettini’s two-run double to center field in the top of the eighth inning following two of UMaine’s 11 walks issued in the game snapped a 7-7 tie and provided the Broncs with the win.
Will Gallagher got the final out in the eighth inning after Connor Goodman’s groundout drove in UMaine’s eighth run and Gallagher stranded a runner on second in the ninth to earn his first save of the season.
Jake Dorety earned the win in relief of Brian Young and is now 2-4.
UMaine rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie it 7-7 on Jake Marquez’s three-run double.
Lesch paced the Broncs attack with his second homer of the season, a three-run shot in the fourth, and a base hit. He drove in four runs.
Skettini had a triple to go with his double.
Justin Costanzo hit his second homer of the season, a solo shot, and he also had a base hit. Leahy had a pair of singles.
Jenkins belted his 14th homer and also had two singles for UMaine. Marquez had three doubles, Colin Plante had a double and two singles and Zach Martin had three singles.
Ryan Scott took the loss in relief and is 0-1.
On Friday, the Broncs spotted the Black Bears a 4-0 lead on Logan Burrill’s grand slam in the second inning before answering with 13 unanswered runs to post the win.
The Broncs scored six runs in the third, four in the sixth and three more in the eighth.
Costanzo’s two-run single and RBI doubles by Skettini, Tiroly and Sica highlighted the Broncs’ six-run third inning rally at the expense of UMaine starter and loser Geoff Mosseau (1-1).
Noah Lewis came on in relief of Mosseau at the outset of the sixth and Rider scored four times on a run-producing wild pitch, Costanzo’s RBI double and an error on shortstop Marquez that allowed the final two runs to score.
Tiroly drove in four runs with his fourth homer of the season, a double and a single.
Skettini had a double and two singles and Costsanzo had a double and single and knocked in three runs.
Sophomore P.J. Craig earned the win, his fourth in six decisions, with five innings of three-hit, four-run ball. He walked one and struck out nine.
Christian Coombes and Gavin Hawkes combined to shut out the Black Bears on just two hits the rest of the way.
Martin was UMaine’s only repeat hitter with two base hits.
Lewis and Mosseau issued 13 walks and hit three batters.
UMaine will host Merrimack at 4 p.m. on Tuesday while Rider will travel to take on Seton Hall in a non-conference game at the same time.
