PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The University of Maine at Presque Isle Owls earned their first doubleheader sweep of the season Saturday with a pair of one-run victories over the College of New Rochelle in New York.
The Owls prevailed by scores of 7-6 and 8-7.
UMPI trailed 6-0 after five innings of the opener before Matt Curry’s RBI double finally put the Owls on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth.
In the next inning, Keanu Vincente hit an RBI double before Ryan Sanderson cracked a grand slam homer to center field later in the inning, scoring Matt Curry, Matt Cauchon and Jordan Hanscom to tie the score. In the same inning, Bradley Patterson walked, moved to second on Austin Coulston’s single and scored on an RBI single by Will Stinson to give UMPI the lead.
Sanderson came on in relief and pitched a scoreless seventh to notch the save in relief of starter Saul Nunez.
The Owls carried the momentum into the second game by scoring four times in the top of the first inning, with Curry, Sanderson and Patterson knocking RBI singles as part of the rally.
Sanderson had an RBI single and Patterson a run-scoring groundout to make it 6-1 in the second. After New Rochelle tallied three times in the bottom of the inning to get within two, Stinson scored an unearned run an inning later for UMPI to make it 7-4.
The Blue Angels tied the game by scoring a run in the bottom of the third and two more in the fifth before Nunez homered over the left field fence in the top of the seventh to snap the deadlock.
Stinson earned the pitching win and Sanderson entered in the seventh and set New Rochelle down in order for his second save of the day.
UMPI lost 1-0 and 4-3 in eighth innings on Sunday to John Jay College in New York City.
The Owls now own a 4-22 record with six regular season games remaining.
