BALTIMORE – The UMBC baseball team scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning but was blanked the rest of the way in an 8-4 America East Conference loss to the UAlbany Great Danes, on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field.
UMBC (21-20, 9-8 AE) wasted no time, producing four runs in the first inning off senior starter Dylan Banner. First baseman
Dylan Melton led off with a single and dashed home on a double to right field by designated hitter
Ehi Okojie. Catcher
Danny Wyatt soon followed, scoring after a single to left field from left fielder
Derek Paris. Second baseman
Brooks Henderson came through with an RBI sacrifice fly to plate Okojie, and shortstop
Kyle Eddington ripped an RBI single to plate right fielder
Danny Orr (walk).
The Great Danes (13-26, 8-9 AE) got a run back in the second off starter
Zach Robinson as designated hitter Tre Mariano singled and came around to score on center fielder Luke Filippi's two-out single.
In the third, left fielder Michael Maggio (3-for-5) doubled down the left field line, bringing shortstop Cooper Loyal (4-for-4, 2B, HR) home, and catcher Levi McAllister's (2-for-5, 2 RBI) single to center field cut the deficit to 4-3.
A throwing error by UMBC starter
Zach Robinson allowed UAlbany to seize the lead in the fifth inning. McAllister's clutch single to center field made it 5-4.
The sixth inning saw Loyal drill a home run to left off reliever
Kailen Hackmann, driving in two more runs.
The Great Danes' bats stayed hot in the seventh as Filippi's (2-for-4, 2 RBI) double off
Brady LeJeune-DeAcutis brought another runner home, stretching UAlbany's lead to 8-4.
Banner (116 pitches) picked up his second complete game of the year, improved to 2-4, as he scattered seven hits and walked just a pair of batters over nine innings of work.
Robinson dropped to 5-3 after allowing four earned runs over 4.1 innings of work.
Wyatt was the only Retriever to pick up a pair of hits.
UMBC and UAlbany will complete the three-game series in the rubber game on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
