Baseball Has Best Performance of the Season, Not Enough to Get Past Maine

(box score)
3/15/06 -– The Long Island University baseball team dropped a 10-6 decision to Maine in its final game of the Papa John’s Baseball Classic in West Palm Beach, Fla. on Wednesday evening.

The Blackbirds pounded out 12 hits in its best offensive performance of the week. Junior James Adamo (Paramus, N.J.) had three hits and an RBI. Junior Marcus Wynn and senior Sean Durkin each had two hits, including a double.

After Maine opened with a run in the first inning, LIU evened the score in the bottom half. Durkin’s single to center field led off the frame. After a sacrifice bunt by Matt Martino and ground out by Robert Rowan moved Durkin to third, a single by Adamo knotted the game at 1-1.

A pair of runs in the second gave the Blackbirds their first lead of the game. A two-out two-RBI double by Durkin did the damage, scoring Wynn and senior Tim Doherty.

The Black Bears scratched a run home in the third and the fourth innings against starter John Dooley to tie the game at 3-3. Dooley went four innings, giving up five hits and three runs while striking out three.

Junior Pete Orsi entered in relief and did a masterful job of holding Maine’s high-powered offense at bay. Orsi allowed a pair of hits while striking out four and walking one in 3-1/3 innings.

Still tied in the seventh, the Black Bears finally broke through for seven runs to open up a 10-3 lead. Ryan Quintal came up big at the plate, belting a three-run triple down the right field line. Quintal finished with three hits and four RBI in the contest.

LIU fought back for a pair of runs and saw a ninth-inning rally fall short. With a run already home and runners at first and second with two outs, reliever Will Carroll got Wynn to strike out swinging and end the threat.

The baseball team travels to Philadelphia, Pa. to compete in the Villanova Baseball Bash on March 17-19. The Blackbirds will face Temple on Friday, Mar. 17 at 3:00 p.m.