VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

BALTIMORE – Junior right-hander Shane Vlasic (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run) shut down UMES over the course of six innings and the Retriever baseball team capitalized on four Hawk errors to earn a 5-2 victory, Wednesday evening in non-conference action at Alumni Field.

Vlasic (1-1) tossed six innings for UMBC (6-15), yielding just two runs on five hits to earn his first win since 2012.  The veteran righty, who red-shirted the 2013 season, struck out six while issuing just one walk as the Retrievers halted a five-game losing skid.

Junior Kevin Ladner (Roxbury, N.J./Succasunna) pitched the last two innings, allowing just one hit, to earn his first save of the season.

Starter Will Turley (0-3) took the loss for UMES (4-15) after surrendering four runs, though only one was earned, on four hits in 3.1 innings on the mound.

After both teams went quietly in the first, as Vlasic struck out the side, the visitors opened the scoring in the top of the first as Jeffrey Fleetwood slapped a two-out single through the left side and Greg Turlik scored from second.

The Retrievers backed up their starter in the bottom half, pulling level on a sacrifice fly to right by freshman Connor Hax (Bowie, Md./Bishop McNamara).  Junior Vince Corbi (Medford, N.J./Shawnee), who reach on an error to start the inning, came into score to knot the game at 1-1, but the Retrievers could not take the lead, leaving the bases loaded.

Vlasic held UMES off the board in the top of the third and his offense rewarded him in the home half.  Corbi and sophomore Mark Esposito (Bethany, Conn./Amity Regional) executed a double-steal with Esposito scoring to give the hosts the lead, 2-1, and Corbi reaching third on a throwing error.  Junior Jake Barnes (Annandale, Va./Annandale) then lifted a sac fly to center for a 3-1 advantage.

UMBC added to its lead in the bottom of the fourth as freshman Hunter Dolshun (Warwick, N.Y./Warwick Valley) laced a one-out single up the middle to chase around classmate Andrew Casali (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) who had previously doubled.

Vlasic gave up one run in the top of the fifth on a two-out double to left by Stephen Bull, but the Retriever offense once again pushed one across again in the bottom half as Hax scored on a wild pitch to extend the lead back to three, 5-2.

The right-hander went one more inning for the Retrievers before the bullpen shut the door to complete the win.  Sophomore Cam Maxey (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) escaped a jam in the seventh, stranding the bases loaded, and then Ladner preserved the win with two effective innings.

UMBC now returns to America East play with a three-game weekend series at Binghamton on Saturday and Sunday in Vestal, N.Y.

DAWG BITES

-          UMBC improves to 11-0 all-time versus UMES.

-          Vlasic's last win came on March 27, 2012 when he defeated Mount St. Mary's.

-          The save was the second of Ladner's career.

-          Dolshun's fourth-inning singled extended his hit streak to ten games.  He has now reached base safely in 15 straight contests.