Box Score

EMMITSBURG, Md. – UMBC baseball senior Brian Klukowicz (Clifton, Md./St. Peter's Prep) hit a three-run homerun to give the Retrievers a four-run lead in the fifth and sophomore Shane Vlasic (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run) threw seven innings as UMBC got past Mount St. Mary's, 7-3, Tuesday afternoon at Straw Family Stadium.

Klukowicz went 2-for-4 on the day with four RBIs and three runs scored and Ian Glassman (Basking Ridge, N.J./Rutgers Prep) added two hits, including a double, for the Retrievers, who have now won five of their last seven games.

Vlasic threw seven innings against the Mountaineers, giving up only two runs on four hits to even his record at 2-2 for the season. The right-hander struck out four batters while only walking one on Tuesday.

Chris Del Vecchio (2-1) was charged with the loss for Mount St. Mary's after yielding five runs on four hits while also walking six batters. 

Both pitchers cruised through the first three innings with UMBC senior Curtis Schickner (East Windsor, N.J./Lawrenceville Prep) picking up the only hit, a two-out single in the top of the second.

The Retrievers finally made the breakthrough in the top of the fifth, capped by a two-run double off the bat of freshman Vince Corbi (Medford, N.J./Shawnee).  Klukowicz started off the inning with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Jason Allinder (Snow Hill, Md./Snow Hill/Chespeake CC).  Sophomore D.J. Smith (Millersville, Md./Old Mill) and Schickner also drew walks, setting up Corbi's two-RBI double.

The hosts answered right back in the bottom half of the inning, cutting the UMBC lead in half on a lead-off homerun by Michael Foster.

It did not take long for the Retrievers to punch back however, as Glassman walked and senior Max Himmelstein (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) singled to start the fifth inning.  Klukowicz then stepped up and slammed a homerun to right-centerfield to give UMBC a four-run lead, 5-1.

The Mount edged a run closer in the bottom of the sixth to cut the gap to three, 5-2.

The very next inning though, Schickner singled to right, driving in Klukowicz to bring the lead right back to a four-run margin, 6-2.

Klukowicz finished his day at the play with an RBI single to center in the eighth, widening the Retrievers' lead to a game-high five runs, 7-2.

The Mountaineers scored one run in the last of the ninth, to come within four, 7-3, but could not get any closer.

UMBC now returns to Baltimore to play its fifth game in sixth days as the Black and Gold host George Washington on Wednesday at the Baseball Factory Field.  Freshman Jon Cobo (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) will make the start for the Retrievers against the Colonials.  The rookie lefty has no decisions this year with a 7.04 ERA in 15.1 innings of work.

DAWG BITES

-           The Retrievers now have seven wins on the year.  The school last reached seven wins before the start of April during the 2007 season.

-          UMBC is now 7-8 in March.  The Retrievers had been a combined 7-27 during the month of March the past two seasons.

-          Klukowicz has now recorded a hit in each of his nine appearances this season, including five multi-hit games.  The senior outfielder is batting .410 (16-for-39) this year with five extra base hits.

-          UMBC tied a season-high with six walks on Tuesday.

-          Glassman has registered two hits in each of the last three games.