BURLINGTON, VT. ? A seven-run eighth inning and a six-hit, complete-game shutout by Greg Norton propelled the second-seeded University of Maine to a 12-0 victory over top-seeded Northeastern University in day two action of the 2005 America East Baseball Championship at Centennial Field on the University of Vermont campus. The Black Bears move on to Saturday’s title game (12 noon) and will face the winner of tonight’s (7 p.m.) Northeastern-Vermont game.
Maine advances to the title game through the winner’s bracket for the first time since 1994. The Black Bears, who are in search of their third conference championship overall, make it to their second-straight championship game as they lost to Stony Brook last season, 3-1, in Orono.
The Black Bears have been swinging their bats very well thus far in the championship as they have scored 26 runs on 35 hits over their two tournament games played, producing one big inning in each outing. Thursday night the Black Bears broke things open with five runs in the bottom of the eighth and then plated seven in the seventh versus Northeastern.
Maine’s big seventh inning was highlighted by Ryan Quintal’s grandslam. Overall the Black Bears scored seven runs on five hits in the seventh alone. Quintal finished the day with five runs batted in as he went 3-for-5. Greg Creek (4-for-6) and Joe Hough (3-for-6) both drove in two runs of their own for the Black Bears as well. Northeastern’s Jeff Heriot was the only Husky to manage a multi-hit game as he went 2-for-3 on the afternoon.
The winner of the four-team double-elimination tournament will garner America East’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
2005 America East Conference
Maine vs Northeastern
May 27, 2005 at Burlington, Vt. (Centennial Field)
Maine 12 (33-16)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Joe Hough cf............. 6 2 3 2 0 0 1 0 0 Greg Creek dh............ 6 1 4 2 0 0 0 0 2 Joel Barrett 1b.......... 4 1 0 1 2 2 11 1 0 Ryan Quintal lf.......... 5 1 3 5 0 0 3 0 3 Ross Cantara ph......... 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 Aaron Izaryk c........... 3 0 1 0 2 1 3 1 1 Curt Smith 3b............ 4 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 Matt McGraw rf........... 3 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 Mark Ostrander rf....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Mike Ferriggi 2b......... 5 2 3 0 0 1 2 3 2 Ray Vallee ss............ 4 2 1 1 1 0 3 3 0 Greg Norton p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 Totals................... 41 12 16 11 7 6 27 10 10
Northeastern 0 (26-22)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Chris Emanuele cf........ 4 0 1 0 0 1 3 0 0 Arman Sidhu ss........... 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 1 Jeff Heriot rf........... 3 0 2 0 1 1 2 0 0 Tim Bush 3b.............. 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 Miguel Paquette 1b....... 3 0 1 0 1 1 8 1 0 Matt Morizio c........... 4 0 0 0 0 1 6 0 1 Dan Milano dh............ 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 Brian Nutting 2b......... 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 Mike Lyon lf............. 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Dave Pellegrine p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Jim Madison p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Matt Piryk p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals................... 31 0 6 0 3 4 27 9 7
Score by Innings R H E ------------------------------------------- Maine............... 000 021 072 - 12 16 0 Northeastern........ 000 000 000 - 0 6 2 -------------------------------------------
E - Heriot; Bush. DP - Maine 2; Northeastern 3. LOB - Maine 10; Northeastern 7. 2B - Creek(12). HR - Quintal(6). HBP - McGraw.
Maine IP H R ER BB SO AB BF ----------------------------------------------- Greg Norton......... 9.0 6 0 0 3 4 31 34
Northeastern IP H R ER BB SO AB BF ----------------------------------------------- Dave Pellegrine..... 7.0 12 7 7 5 5 30 36 Jim Madison......... 0.1 2 3 3 2 0 3 5 Matt Piryk.......... 1.2 2 2 1 0 1 8 8
Win - Norton (9-3). Loss - Pellegrine (5-3). Save - None. WP - Pellegrine; Piryk. HBP - by Pellegrine (McGraw). Umpires - HP: Steve Ricciarini 1B: Nick Zibelli 2B: Craig Alden 3B: Joe Cacciatore Start: 3:35 pm Time: 2:39 Attendance: Game: AE04
Play-by-Play
2005 America East Conference
Maine vs Northeastern - Play-by-Play
May 27, 2005 at Burlington, Vt. (Centennial Field)
Score by Innings R H E ------------------------------------------- Maine............... 000 021 072 - 12 16 0 Northeastern........ 000 000 000 - 0 6 2 -------------------------------------------
Maine starters: 10/cf Hough; 13/dh Creek; 26/1b Barrett; 11/lf Quintal; 7/c Izaryk; 9/3b Smith; 25/rf McGraw; 4/2b Ferriggi; 19/ss Vallee; 23/p Norton;
Northeastern starters: 27/cf Emanuele; 3/ss Sidhu; 44/rf Heriot; 45/3b Bush; 31/1b Paquette; 11/c Morizio; 35/dh Milano; 8/2b Nutting; 7/lf Lyon; 4/p Pellegrine;
Maine - inning 1
Hough flied out to cf. Creek singled to center field. Barrett walked; Creek advanced to second. Quintal lined into double play ss to 1b; Barrett out on the play. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Northeastern - inning 1
Emanuele struck out. Sidhu lined out to ss. Heriot singled to right center. Bush grounded out to 2b. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Maine - inning 2
Izaryk walked. Smith walked; Izaryk advanced to second. McGraw grounded into double play 2b to 1b; Smith out on the play; Izaryk advanced to third. Ferriggi struck out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Northeastern - inning 2
Paquette singled to right center. Morizio grounded into double play 2b to ss to 1b; Paquette out on the play. Milano flied out to lf. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Maine - inning 3
Vallee grounded out to ss. Hough singled to left center. Creek singled to third base; Hough advanced to second, advanced to third on the throw. Barrett struck out looking. Quintal flied out to cf. 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Northeastern - inning 3
Nutting flied out to lf. Lyon fouled out to 1b. Emanuele singled through the left side. Sidhu fouled out to 2b. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Maine - inning 4
Izaryk singled through the left side. Smith struck out. McGraw fouled out to 1b; Izaryk advanced to second. Ferriggi grounded out to ss. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Northeastern - inning 4
Heriot struck out. Bush singled to center field. Paquette flied out to lf. Morizio struck out. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Maine - inning 5
Vallee walked. Hough grounded out to 2b; Vallee advanced to second. Creek singled to right field, advanced to second on the throw, RBI; Vallee scored. Barrett struck out. Quintal singled up the middle, RBI; Creek scored. Izaryk struck out looking. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Northeastern - inning 5
Milano singled through the right side. Nutting lined into double play 1b unassisted; Milano out on the play. Lyon grounded out to ss. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Maine - inning 6
Smith fouled out to rf. McGraw hit by pitch. Ferriggi singled through the left side; McGraw advanced to second. Vallee reached on a fielder's choice; Ferriggi out at second 2b to ss; McGraw advanced to third. Hough singled to left field, RBI; Vallee advanced to second; McGraw scored. Creek flied out to lf. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Northeastern - inning 6
Emanuele flied out to rf. Sidhu grounded out to p. Heriot singled to right field. Bush flied out to cf. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Maine - inning 7
Barrett out at first 1b to p. Quintal singled up the middle. Izaryk grounded into double play ss to 1b; Quintal out on the play. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Northeastern - inning 7
Paquette struck out, out at first c to 1b. Morizio popped up to ss. Milano walked. Nutting grounded out to 2b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Maine - inning 8
Smith singled to center field. Smith advanced to second on a wild pitch. McGraw walked. Ferriggi singled to shortstop; McGraw advanced to second; Smith advanced to third. Vallee singled to shortstop, RBI; Ferriggi advanced to second; McGraw advanced to third; Smith scored. Madison to p for Pellegrine. Hough singled to right field, RBI; Vallee advanced to second; Ferriggi advanced to third; McGraw scored. Creek fouled out to 1b. Barrett walked, RBI; Hough advanced to second; Vallee advanced to third; Ferriggi scored. Quintal homered to right center, 4 RBI; Barrett scored; Hough scored; Vallee scored. Izaryk walked. Piryk to p for Madison. Smith fouled out to rf. McGraw reached on a fielder's choice; Izaryk out at second 3b to 2b. 7 runs, 5 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Northeastern - inning 8
Ostrander to rf for McGraw. Lyon lined out to 2b. Emanuele out at first 1b to p. Sidhu grounded out to ss. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Maine - inning 9
Ferriggi singled to left center. Vallee flied out to cf. Hough reached on a fielder's choice; Ferriggi advanced to second on a throwing error by 3b. Creek doubled to right field, RBI; Hough advanced to third, scored on a throwing error by rf; Ferriggi scored, unearned. Creek advanced to third on a wild pitch. Barrett popped up to ss. Cantara pinch hit for Quintal. Cantara struck out looking. 2 runs, 2 hits, 2 errors, 1 LOB.
Northeastern - inning 9
Cantara to lf. Heriot walked. Bush flied out to rf. Paquette walked; Heriot advanced to second. Morizio flied out to lf. Milano grounded out to p. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.