Curry pitches Owls to baseball win
WASHINGTON D.C. — The UMPI baseball team began their spring trip Friday with a split of a doubleheader against Gallaudet. The Owls won the first game, 3-0, before dropping the second, 1-0.
Matt Curry, a freshman from Caribou, pitched a complete game shutout to lead the Owls to victory in game one. Through seven innings, he kept the Bison bats silent, giving up just three hits and one walk, while striking out eight to earn his first career NCAA victory.
Offensively, the Owls managed just four hits, and were unable to plate a run until the fourth inning when Matt Cauchon, a freshman from Kingston, Mass., scored on a fielder’s choice. UMPI added insurance runs in the sixth, taking advantage of a Bison error to plate Cauchon again, which was followed by a run-scoring single by Adam Begos, a junior from Portland.
The Owls struggled offensively in the second game, collecting just three hits and leaving nine runners on base, including having the bases loaded on two separate occasions. The lone run of the game came in the bottom of the fourth when Zack Crawford, a sophomore from Newman, Ga., lined a double to right-center to drive in a run.
Saul Nunez, a freshman from Mapleton, took the pitching loss despite giving up just the one run over six innings. He struck out three, scattered six hits and did not allow a walk. Gallaudet starter Ben Coleman went the distance, striking out five. Aaron Kofstad, a freshman from Presque Isle, collected two hits to lead the UMPI offense.
“We got some excellent performances from our pitchers today,” said Owl coach Mike Pankow. “Both guys came out and pounded the zone, and put pressure on the other team to perform. It is unfortunate that Saul had to take the loss, as he deserved a better fate.”
On Monday, the Shoremen of Washington College collected 14 hits on their way to a 10-0 victory over the visiting Owls.
Freshman starting pitcher Jesus Garcia was shaky early, giving up five earned runs on four extra base hits in the second inning of his first collegiate start. He then settled in to provide the Owls with a quality start by allowing only three hits from that point on in his outing.
Senior Ghaz Sailors replaced Garcia and gave up a run after hitting the leadoff batter in the seventh inning. Nate Bowers then took to the mound for his first taste of collegiate pitching and finished out the game by surrendering four runs on four hits, including two extra base hits.
Brady Rowe, Cauchon and Garcia all had hits for the Owls in the loss.
“There are things we need to clean up,” Pankow added. “We are leaving too many runners on base and need to cut down on errors, but this is a resilient, hard-working group that will get better as the season goes on.”
UMPI is now 2-3 overall on the season.
