America East Baseball News & Notes: Time to Play Ball

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A sure sign that spring is near is the beginning of the college baseball season. Last weekend’s kickoff featured five of the seven teams in the America East Conference getting started with games on the road. The Bryant Bulldogs (2–1) were the only league team to pick up an opening weekend series win, while Maine and UMass Lowell grabbed individual victories. Here is how the weekend went.

Bryant Bulldogs: A Series Statement

The Bulldogs took two of three from Davidson College, winning the first and third games of the weekend.

Extra-Inning Thriller: Game one was a 10-inning affair, with Bryant securing a 6–5 victory. Casey Wensley came through with a two-run single in the top of the 10th to give Bryant a 6–4 lead. In the bottom of the frame, reliever Justin Dressler struck out back-to-back hitters with the tying run on base to earn the save and make a winner of Sean Zaslaw.
Statistical Standouts: Ellis Garcia was the hitting star, going 4-for-5. Bryant pitchers dominated the zone, striking out 19 Davidson hitters while walking only three.
Player of the Week: Bryant split a Saturday doubleheader, winning game two 8–5. Casey Wensley was the hero, going 4-for-4 with 4 RBI and three runs. He was named AE Player of the Week after hitting 7-for-11 (.636) with a home run, 5 RBI, and a 1.576 OPS over the weekend.
A-10 Dominance: Bryant has now won four series against A-10 opponents since moving to Division I. Charlie Saul also provided a spark, hitting .357 (5-for-14) with two home runs and 7 RBI.

Maine Black Bears: Opening Day Shock

The Maine Black Bears stunned the baseball world by taking game one of their series at Duke on Friday.

The Pitching: Sebastian Holt earned the win out of the bullpen with two innings of one-hit ball. Jack Donlin was named AE Pitcher of the Week after striking out the side in the 9th to earn the save.
At the Plate: Leadoff hitter Juju Stevens went 4-for-5 with two runs scored. Despite giving up three home runs, the Maine staff kept them solo to secure the win.
Freshman Flash: Maine dropped both games of a Saturday doubleheader (3–0, 7–1), but Troy Carpenter was named AE Rookie of the Week after slashing .308/.438/.538.

UMass Lowell River Hawks: Road Warriors

The River Hawks took game one at Morehead State on Friday, scoring three runs in both the 7th and 8th innings for a 7–4 win.

Late Inning Power: Sean O’Leary launched a solo shot to right in the 8th, followed by a two-run blast to deep center by Jorge Burgos.
The Pen: Frankie DeMaro earned the win, while Jake LeFrancois secured his first save with a scoreless 9th. UMass Lowell fell in Saturday’s doubleheader by scores of 3–2 and 22–10.

Around the League

The remaining two teams struggled against high-level competition:

NJIT: The Highlanders were swept at Longwood, where the pitching staff struggled, surrendering 28 runs across three games.
Binghamton: The Bearcats faced a powerhouse at Dallas Baptist, giving up 33 runs in a three-game sweep.

Looking Ahead: Weekend Matchups

All seven league members are in action this weekend:

Bryant heads to No. 19 Clemson.
UAlbany begins their season at Texas Tech.
UMBC travels to Longwood.
Maine is at High Point.
NJIT plays a rotating schedule against Presbyterian, Wofford, and USC Upstate.
Binghamton visits William & Mary.
UMass Lowell heads to Florida for the Snowbird Tournament to face Illinois State, Indiana State, and Miami (OH).