LYNN, Mass. — The University of Maine at Farmington baseball team opened the 2016 season with a doubleheader sweep over Fisher College on Saturday afternoon in non-conference action. The Beavers won the first game, 6-4, and then held on for a 2-1 win in the second game.

In game one, Ben Keene drove home the season’s first run with an RBI single in the top of the first inning. Keene line a single to right center, plating Dustin McCrossin from second base.

Fisher tied the game in the bottom of the frame and then jumped out to a 4-1 lead with three runs in the bottom of the third inning.

UMF answered in the top of the fourth inning with a pair of runs. The Beavers generated a run with a bases loaded fielder’s choice and then Jimmy Parks closed the gap to 4-3 with an RBI sacrifice fly to right field.

The Beavers’ offense came through again in the top of the sixth inning with two more runs. After another bases loaded fielder’s choice allowed UMF to take a 5-3 lead, the UMF forced a Fisher error with the bases loaded as the game’s final run crossed the plate.

Kyle Peterson pitched a gem for the Beavers. The senior hurled six full innings to earn the win. Mark Leahy came in for the save with a three-up, three-down seventh inning.

In the second game, the scoreboard read all zeros until Jordan Croteau cracked a double to left field in the second inning, allowing Grayson Beressi to trot home from third base.

In the fourth inning, UMF doubled its lead to 2-0 with a bases by forcing a Fisher error with the bases loaded.

The Falcons tried to get back in the game in the fifth inning by scoring on a UMF error, but UMF’s pitching was too much by only allowing three total hits in game two.

Nate Pushard pitched his first-career complete game by only yielding the three hits and only one run.

UMaine-Farmington plays at Fisher again on Sunday morning with a nine inning game at 11 a.m.

Bates splits with Middlebury

NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. — The Bates baseball team played a pair of tight non-conference games with Middlebury on Saturday, winning game one 2-1 and dropping game two in extra innings 4-3.

Connor Colombo (1-2) tossed six innings of two-hit ball in the opener, striking out seven batters along the way to lead the Bobcats. The lone run Middlebury scored was unearned.

The Panthers took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Bates responded in the bottom of the second against Middlebury starter Colby Morris on a two-run home run by Eric Vilanova.

Colombo struck out back-to-back hitters to get out of a third-inning jam and benefited from a double play in thr fourth. He retired the side in order in the fifth and struck out a pair of batters in the sixth to finish his day on a strong note.

Rob DiFranco secured the save.

Asher MacDonald and Samuel Warren each went 2-for-3 at the plate for Bates in game one. One of Warren’s hits was a double.

Sam Graf hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to clinch a 4-3 victory for the Panthers in the nightcap.

Bates (5-6) fell behind 3-0 in the contest before rallying with a three-run fourth inning.

John Dinucci got the rally going in the top of the fourth with a double off Middlebury starter John Bunting. Conor Reenstierna ’16 doubled in Dinucci to cut the deficit to 3-1.

Brendan Fox  continued his white hot start to the 2016 season with an opposite field two-run home run to tie the game at three. It was Fox’s first career home run. Through 11 games, Fox is hitting .500 with a homer and 12 RBI.

Neither team scored again until Graf’s homer in the bottom of the ninth.

Chris Ward entered the game in the bottom of the seventh and retired the side in order to send the game to extra innings.

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