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Feb. 5, 2005 WILMINGTON, N.C. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore fell to the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks 10-0 to open the 2005 season. The Seahawks (1-0), who were CAA champions last season and only four games from reaching the NCAA World Series, jumped out early on UMES (0-1) and never looked back. In bottom of the first, freshman Brad Powell (Salisbury, Md./Parkside H.S.) took some time to get comfortable on the mound as he walked the first Seahawk hitter on four pitches, and eventually lost the second to another free pass. With two on and no one out, the UNCW jumped out to an early lead as Matt Poulk, who was the CAA tournament MVP continued his hot hitting from last season, taking the first pitch fastball out of the park to right. In the bottom of the second, Powell seemed to calm down retiring two of Seahawks first three hitters and had Daniel Hargrave down in the count before he fought off a pitch for an RBI single. The hit started a string of three straight hits that plated three more runs to end the afternoon for Powell. Trailing 6-0 after two innings, the Fighting Hawks finally got to Seahawks starter Zach Kimball, as junior Bernie Stratchko (Laplata, Md./McDonaugh H.S.) led of the inning with UMES's first hit of the season. Minutes later the Hawks threatened with runners on first and second and only one out, but Kimball struck-out the next two batters to get out of the third inning with the shutout in hand.
Coming in to relieve Powell for the Fighting Hawks was sophomore Sean Davis (Salisbury, Md./Bennett H.S.), who is the only pitcher returning the Hawks staff that started more than three games for UMES last season. He began strong as he struck out Chris Hatcher swinging on a great change-up and then got Zach Booker looking on the sweeping curve-ball.
In the fourth inning, the Seahawks led of the inning with a double by Kenny Smith followed by an RBI-single from Hargrave, in which he reached second base on the throw back to the infield. However, the Fighting Hawks escaped without giving up another run as junior Craig Munch (N.J./Delaware Tech) made back-to-back tremendous defensive plays. The first was a diving catch in the rightfield gap, in which he doubled up Hargrave at second base before tracking down a fly ball on the warning track in right to end the inning. UNC-Wilmington added one run in the fifth and two more in the sixth to extend its lead to 10-0 as Davis finished his afternoon giving up eight hits, four runs, three earned. He struck out two and did not allow a walk. Replacing Davis on the mound was freshman lefty Dusty Webster (Deal Island, Md./Washington H.S.), who was making his first collegiate appearance, retired the first five batters he faced quickly on four flyouts and a strikeout. The only hit came off the bat of Poulk, as he recorded his career best fourth hit, a bloop fly that dropped in front of the centerfielder, to go with his four RBI's. The Fighting Hawks will conclude the quick two-game series with UNC-Wilmington on Sunday, February 6, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. |
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