The Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks lost to the Stonehill Skyhawks, 20-17, in a high-scoring baseball game at Hawk Stadium in Princess Anne, MD on March 13. The contest featured multiple lead changes and strong offensive performances from both teams.
The result gives Stonehill a 1-0 lead in the series and drops the Hawks to a record of 1-13 overall and 0-4 in conference play. The Skyhawks improved their record to 2-11 overall and 1-0 in conference games.
Stonehill started quickly with three runs in the first inning, but Maryland Eastern Shore responded with three runs of their own. The Hawks then took control with an eight-run second inning, highlighted by RBI hits and a three-run home run that gave them a significant early advantage. By the end of the second inning, Maryland Eastern Shore led 11-4 after scoring on a wild pitch.
Despite falling behind, Stonehill narrowed the gap by scoring four runs in the third inning. Gonzalez Perez extended UMES’ lead with a two-run homer in the bottom half of that frame. After a scoreless fourth inning, Stonehill scored three more runs in the fifth to make it a close game again. The Hawks added three more runs in the sixth through RBI singles and an RBI groundout.
From the seventh inning onward, Stonehill outscored Maryland Eastern Shore nine to one, including five runs in the ninth for a comeback win. The only run for UMES during this stretch came from a sacrifice fly by Gonzalez Perez.
The Hawks finished with season highs of 17 runs and 16 hits but also committed six errors. Several players had multi-hit games: Jimenez (2-for-2), Gonzalez Perez (2-for-4), Aponte (2-for-4), Azcona (3-for-5), Rodriguez (2-for-6), and Caldwell (2-for-3). Caldwell hit his first collegiate home run and recorded his first multi-hit game of the season. Azcona set a new season-high with three hits while Gonzalez Perez hit his fifth home run of the year and notched his fourth multi-hit performance in five starts.
The series continues Saturday, March 14 at Hawk Stadium. Live statistics will be available on umeshawksports.com and fans can watch via YouTube.
