WATERVILLE, ME

UMPI Baseball split their conference series with Thomas College this weekend, marking the first in history that the Owls have earned a split in a four-game series against the Terriers. After a tough loss in game one, UMPI responded with a gritty extra-inning win to close out the series on a high note. 

Game 1: 17-2 Terriers

Game one was a difficult outing for the Owls, as Thomas jumped ahead early and never looked back. The Terriers broke things open in the second inning, capitalizing on a hit-by-pitch, a pair of RBI singles, and a passed ball to take a 4-0 lead. They followed it up with a massive third inning, stringing together hits and aggressive baserunning to extend the lead to 10-0. UMPI got on the board in the fourth when Mitchell Kley came around to score on a double play, but Thomas answered again in the fifth, taking advantage of more miscues to push the lead to 17-1. The Owls added one more in the seventh on an RBI groundout from Ronnie Golmon, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.

Top Performers:

At the plate, UMPI collected five hits, with contributions from Kley, Sammy Bay, Garrett Chadwick, Ian Michaud, and Hayden Coury. On the mound, Diego Maldonado took the loss, while Seth Espling and Potter Raymond provided relief, with Raymond finishing strong on 2.2 scoreless innings. 

Game 2: 6-5 Owls (10 Innings)

Game two told a completely different story, as UMPI bounced back with one of their most complete and resilient performances of the season. The Owls struck early in the first inning when Mitchell Kley drove in a run on a fielder's choice, before Hector Perez followed with an RBI double to make it 2-0. The game went into cruise control from there, with several three-up-three-down innings coming from both sides. The middle innings flew by and nothing of significance happened until the 6^th.

Thomas responded with a four-run 6^th inning to take a 4-2 lead on some miscues and well placed hits that gave the Owls trouble. But UMPI answered right back in the bottom half. Kley came through again with an RBI single, and Aiden Toy drove in a run after being hit by a pitch. The Owls then took the lead on a passed ball when Hector Perez made a crafty dive into the plate, making it 5-4.

Now with the Owls three outs from a victory, the Terriers didn't roll over. Thomas tied things up with a two-out base hit in the top of the 7^th, sending the game into extra innings. The game went into stalemate again in extras. Finally, in the bottom of the 10th, UMPI delivered the decisive blow. With the first three runners reaching, Hector Perez came through with a clutch RBI single to bring home Diego Maldonado and give the Owls a walk-off win.

Top Performers:

Garrett Chadwick was 100% the hero for the Owls, throwing an unbelievable 10-inning complete game. The right-hander was dominant all game long, shutting the door in numerous big spots, allowing five runs on nine hits while striking out four to earn the win. He threw an astounding 124 pitches. Offensively, Mitchell Kley led the way with two hits and two RBIs, while Perez added two hits and drove in the game-winning run. Maldonado also chipped in with a multi-hit game as the Owls totaled seven hits. 

After a rough start, UMPI showed serious resilience by bouncing back and earning the split. It's a big step forward for the program, marking their first split with Thomas College in a four game series ever, and showing the growth of this team in high-pressure moments. 

Up Next:

UMPI improves to 4-9 on the year and most importantly, to 3-5 in conference. The Owls will look to carry that momentum forward as they prepare to face SUNY Cobleskill on April 4th and 5th in Lewiston, Maine.