America East Conference baseball action got started over the weekend with a pair of series. UMass Lowell took two games from reigning conference champion, Binghamton, in its conference debut, with game three cancelled due to weather. Meanwhile Albany took two of three from UMBC in Baltimore.
UMass Lowell (8-2, 2-0) vs. Binghamton (4-11, 0-2)
Game 1: UMass Lowell 4, Binghamton 2 - Box Score
- Junior Jacob O'Keefe laced a 2-out, 2-run single in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 2-1 lead as UMass Lowell went on toa 4-2 victory.
- The River Hawks tacked on two more in the seventh, as Jimmy Ricoy had an RBI single and Matthew Sanchez later scored on a wild pitch.
- Nick Pancarella drove in both runs for Binghamton.
- Senior Shane Beachemin went 7.2 innings allowing two runs on seven hits with two strikeouts. Beauchemin improved to 2-0 on the season. Senior Nick Boutoures picked up the save after pitching the final 1.1 innings.
Game 2: UMass Lowell 4, Binghamton 2 - Box Score
- Trailing 1-0 against in game two, UMass Lowell pushed two runs across in the second inning. The River Hawks scored one on an error and the other on a ground out by Rooney to second base to take a 2-1 lead.
- Sanchez drove in a pair of insurance runs, one in the third with a ground out and the other in the fifth with a single to make it 4-1 UMass Lowell.
- Matthew Calzetta tossed a complete game on the mound, allowing just two runs on four hits with four strikeouts.
Albany (3-7, 2-1) at UMBC (3-8, 1-2)
Game 1: UMBC 3, Albany 2 - Box Score
- Freshman Andrew Casali lined a single up the middle to bring Brandon Coluccio in from second as UMBC earned a walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth in game one of the series.
- Both starters, UMBC's Mac Gill and Albany's Kevin Archbold, worked out trouble throughout, combining to strand 13 runners on base. Gill tossed 8.1 innings for UMBC yielding just the two runs while scattering eight hits. Archibold was equal for Albany, hurling 7.0 innings and giving up two runs on seven hits.
- Albany rallied from a 2-1 deficit to tie the game in the top of the ninth, as Charlie Peltz line a two-out single to left that scored Josh Nethaway who led off the inning with a single.
Game 2: Albany 9, UMBC 7 - Box Score
- Abany rallied from a 4-0 deficit, scoring once in the fourth and then four times each in the fifth and sixth to take game two from UMBC.
- Nethaway brought the teams even, slugging a three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 4-4. Craig Lepre gave the Great Danes the lead later in the inning on an RBI single.
- Matt Hinchy provided insurance, belting a three-run homer of his own in the sixth to put UMBC on top 8-4.
- The Retrievers tried to claw their way back into the game, scoring three times in the bottom of the sixth to get within 9-7, but could not complete the comeback.
- Hinchy and Nethaway each drove in three runs for Albany while Lepre drove in a pair. Dolshun and Barnes each had two RBI for UMBC.
Game 3: Albany 6, UMBC 4 - Box Score
- Albany rallied from a 4-0 deficit for the second-straight game, scoring six runs in the final five innings to take a 6-4 win in the rubbert match of the three-game series on Sunday.
- Mark Esposito drove in a pair of runs for UMBC in the first while Connor Hax and Kevin LaChance each had an RBI in the second.
- Josh Nethaway got the scoring started for Albany with a two-run double in the fifth.
- Albany took the lead by scoring three runs in the seventh. Matt Hinchy drove in the first run, while Craig Lepre once against was credited with the game-winning RBI, driving in two with a double to center to make it 5-4.