Pena and Hernandez Homer, but Baseball Swept by UMaine-Farmington

AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The MCLA Baseball team continued their spring break road trip with a doubleheader against the University of Maine-Farmington at the RussMatt Tournament. Justin Hernandez and Jayco Pena each went yard for the Trailblazers, but the Beavers took both ends of the doubleheader.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Saturday, March 9, 2024
• Game #1: MCLA 6, UMaine-Farmington 9
• Game #2: UMaine-Farmington 10, MCLA 8
• Records: UMaine-Farmington Beavers 2-3 (NAC 0-0) | MCLA Trailblazers 2-4 (MASCAC 0-0)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Game #1
  • UMaine-Farmington scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning before MCLA got on the board for the first time in the top of the third. Matt Damon worked a one-out walk, moved to second on a wild pitch, and took third on an infield hit by Jayco Pena. Pena stole second, and then Damon came home on a delayed steal when the Beavers' catcher threw down to second.
  • UMaine-Farmington got the run back, however, in the bottom of the inning on a single and an error by the Trailblazers defense. In the top of the fourth MCLA put up their first crooked number of the day. Ty Mazzeo led off with a walk and made it into a double by stealing second. Henry Blake wore one for the Trailblazers to put runners on first and second. Two batters later, the Beavers' pitcher's pickoff attempt of Mazzeo at second went wide and Mazzeo came all the way around to score. On the throw home, Blake moved up to third base and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Damon.
  • Four runs over the next two innings for UMaine-Farmington meant that MCLA was trailing 7-3 entering the top of the sixth when the Trailblazers put their second crooked number on the scoreboard. Justin Hernandez started the rally with a walk and moved to second on a single through the right side by Mazzeo and a single through the left side by Blake loaded the bases. Two batters later, Hernandez scored on a wild pitch and then Damon singled to right, scoring Mazzeo and advancing Blake to third. Blake then later scored on a balk by the Beaver pitcher. UMaine-Farmington added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the inning before fending off a bases-loaded situation for the Trailblazers at the top of the seventh.
  • The Beavers' Aaron Goschke evened his record at 1-1 after striking out five in four innings, while Nate Morse took the loss to fall to 1-1.
• Game #2
  • MCLA cracked the seal on the score in game two, putting up a three spot in the bottom of the first inning. Jayco Pena drove in the first two runs with a double to left field that scored Damon and Hernandez, while Pena moved to third when the left fielder's throw home was off the mark. Pena then scored two batters later thanks to an error by the shortstop on a ball from Mazzeo.
  • The Beavers responded with two runs in the top of the second before MCLA got one back in the bottom of the frame when Hernandez drove in Clayton Dutfield with a double into the right field gap.
  • UMaine-Farmington took its first lead of the game with three runs in the top of the third, only to give it away when Pena led off the bottom of the inning with a home run to left center. Two runs in the top of the fourth restored the lead and put the Beavers up 7-5 through four and a half innings.
  • MCLA started to chip away at that lead with a home run from Hernandez in the fifth, an RBI double by Brady Hamel, and an RBI single by Hernandez in the sixth to go ahead 8-7. UMaine-Farmington then tied the game again with a run in the top of the seventh.

UP NEXT:

On Wednesday, MCLA will be back in action when they continue their participation in the RussMatt Tournament with a doubleheader against Maine-Presque Isle. It will be a non-conference matchup with the Owls at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale, FL. The first pitch is scheduled for 9:30 a.m.

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