UMBC Baseball Allows Seven Runs in First Two Innings, Loses to Lafayette

All UMBC right fielder Brian Klukowicz could do was jog toward the fence and look up.

The Retrievers’ cleanup hitter had just helped whittle a seven run Lafayette lead down to three, as UMBC trailed the Leopards 8-5 after a bottom of the fifth in which Klukowicz had an RBI double and scored on a Curtis Schickner single.

But in the top of the eighth, Lafayette catcher A.J. Miller put the game out of reach with a tape-measure homerun over the right field fence. Miller went 4-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored in the game.

Leopards designated hitter Andrew Ruck later doubled over Klukowicz’s head to finish off a giant offensive day for Lafayette, as the Leopards used a 16-hit attack to beat the Retrievers 10-5 at the Baseball Factory Field.

A rough first two innings and Miller's big swing in the eighth overshadowed UMBC’s solid play in between. Lafayette led 7-0 and had six hits after two frames.

“You’ve got to play nine (innings),” Retrievers coach John Jancuska said. “It’s staying out of the big inning (that helps win games).”

The Retrievers (0-4) got on the board in the bottom of the third when Rich Conlon singled to left, Michael Pesci doubled down the first base line and both came home on Rob McCabe’s one-out, two-RBI single.

But McCabe and Max Himmelstein, who singled, were both stranded when Klukowicz grounded into a fielder’s choice and catcher Jason Allinder flew out to left field. UMBC ended the inning down 7-2.

The Retrievers scored three more runs in the bottom of the fifth after McCabe was hit by a pitch and Himmelstein singled. A base hit by Klukowicz brought around McCabe and Himmselstein. Klukowicz would later score to bring UMBC within three runs, 8-5, but the Retrievers would get no closer.

“They (Lafayette) came out strong, 7-0,” said Klukowicz, who went 2-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI. “We just tried to chip and get a couple runs back.”

Freshman pitcher Jon Cohn, making his first career start, struggled mightily in the first inning, helping the Leopards jump out to a 4-0 lead.

The freshman from Scottsdale, AZ, walked leadoff hitter Rob Froio, then compounded his mistake by throwing wildly to third base on a pick-off attempt, allowing Froio to come around and score.

An error by shortstop Bryan Perlmutter, who first bobbled a groundball off the bat of Alex Bechta and then threw high to the first baseman Himmelstein, followed by a single and walk, loaded the bases for Andrew Ruck, who doubled to make the score 4-0.

Cohn retired shortstop Brian Davila to end the inning, but the damage was done, and so was Cohn (0-1), who took the loss in a debut that lasted only 36 pitches.

“You never know for freshmen, their first college experience,” Jancuska said. “There’s a significant ‘wow’ factor.”

Klukowicz said the early hole didn’t make UMBC’s offensive job any more difficult than usual.

“It’s a team effort,” Klukowicz said. “It’s always hard (scoring runs).”

Austin Drewyer relieved Cohn in the top of the second and allowed three runs on four hits. But the senior quickly calmed down, allowing only one more run over his final three innings of work, giving the Retrievers a chance to come back.

Junior Sean Swetnam pitched three innings for UMBC, allowing two runs on five hits. Junior Luke DiBlasi pitched a scoreless ninth.

The Retrievers pounded out 13 hits and every batter in the lineup reached base at least once, minus freshman shortstop Perlmutter, who went 0-for-4.

But after Lafayette starter Corey Shea (1-1) was replaced by John Gentile in the top of the sixth, UMBC couldn’t mount a serious offensive threat.

Gentile completed the four-inning save by allowing three hits and striking out three to close out the game.

Originally scheduled to be a seven inning game because it was part of a doubleheader (UMBC lost 12-3 in the opening game Saturday), the contest was changed to a normal nine inning game after Sunday’s game was canceled due to threatening rain.

After having his starting pitcher last only one inning, Jancuska seemed relieved his team would have Sunday off.

“We’re a little bit thin,” he said.