Baseball Sweeps the UMPI Owls to Closeout RussMatt Trip

AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The MCLA Baseball team concluded its 2026 spring break road trip to the RussMatt Invitational with a double header against the University of Maine at Presque Isle. After the Owls rallied back to tie game #1 in the top of the seventh, Mike Daley hit a two-out single down the right field line to score Benjamin Jacob with the walk-off run. Game #2 saw Roshan Warriar work out of a bases-loaded jam to record his first career save. The Trailblazers finished their time in Florida with a 3-5 record.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Thursday, March 19, 2026
• Game #1: UMPI 6, MCLA 7
• Game #2: MCLA 4, UMPI 2
• Records: University of Maine at Presque Isle Owls 2-6 (NAC 1-3) | MCLA Trailblazers 6-5 (MASCAC 0-0)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Game #1
  • MCLA starter Cam Harrington (Pittsfield, MA) was dominant through the first six and two-thirds before running out of gas, allowing only three runs, only two of which were earned, while striking out 10 Owl batters against only four hits. In an odd quirk of baseball, the sophomore didn't allow a hit in any even-numbered inning and didn't allow more than one hit in any inning.
  • The Trailblazers pieced together a decent-sized lead and didn't feel threatened until the seventh inning. The first runs for the "home" team in the opener of this doubleheader went on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second and felt a bit like déjà vu. Joe Sardo (Great Neck, NY) started the rally with a one-out infield single and then stole second base while Chris Vargas (Queens Village, NY) worked a four-pitch walk. With Christopher Gallagher (Albany, NY) then at the plate, Sardo took off for third on the 1-1 pitch, with Vargas then following to second. The UMPI catcher's throw to third was low and in the dirt before escaping the grasp of the third baseman, allowing Sardo to get up and scamper home with the first run of the game. Gallagher extended his at-bat to seven pitches before fouling out for the second out of the inning and ushering Collin Gevry (Newtown, CT) to the plate. On the first pitch of the at-bat, Vargas took off for third and for the second time in the inning, the ball was in the dirt and slipped away, allowing Vargas to get to his feet and making the score 2-0 MCLA.
  • The Trailblazers put up their second crooked number of the game in the fourth frame. After Harrington had retired the Owls 1-2-3 in the top of the inning on only four pitches, Mike Daley (Wallkill, NY) and Sardo opened the inning with a pair of walks, setting Vargas up with runners on first and second base. The senior from Queen's Village, NY, looped a fly ball just inside the left field line and into the corner at Lake Myrtle Field #8, scoring Daley easily and moving Sardo to third and chasing UMPI starter Mike Langley from the game. Gallagher welcomed Owl reliever Seth Espling by ambushing the first pitch with a single back through the middle for his first collegiate hit and RBI. With runners on the corners, Gallagher stole second to take away the force out at second, enabling Coach Mike Gladu to continue to be aggressive, attempting a suicide squeeze with Vargas crashing for home on the pitch, but Grevy couldn't get the bunt down and eventually fouled out. Gallagher had advanced to third on the squeeze attempt and then scored when Benjamin Jacob (Pittsfield, MA) banged a shot back through the middle to put MCLA up 5-0 after four innings.
  • The Owls found their way onto the scoreboard in the top of the fifth after Carter Murphy led off with a triple to the right-center gap. Harrington then struck out Hector Perez, only to have the third strike get away from Gevry, the Trailblazer catcher, to allow Murphy to scurry home. Gevry would make amends when Perez attempted to steal second on the first pitch, but Gevry's throw beat the speedy centerfielder to the bag, where shortstop Roshan Warriar (Pittsfield, MA) could slap the tag on his backside before his hand could make the base.
  • In the bottom of the inning, the Trailblazers got the run back when Jake Jasminski (Milford, CT) led off with a five-pitch walk, moved to second on a Warriar ground out, and then took to third on a wild pitch on the first pitch to Joshua Bissaillon (East Greenbush, NY). Bissaillon went "return to sender", sending the second pitch of his at-bat back through the box and into centerfield for an RBI single, and a 6-1 lead after five innings.
  • The winds began to blow a bit differently in the seventh. The first two Owls, Murphy and Perez, each worked to a full count before going down on swinging strikes, giving Harrington ten for the game. Pinch hitter Kalen Coleman singled to center field, and then Romeo Harris walked on four pitches, drawing Gladu to make a call to his bullpen.
  • The Owls would capitalize on Harrington's departure by scoring four runs against a pair of MCLA relievers with an RBI single by Mason Long, a two-RBI, bases-loaded, base-clearing single by Diego Maldonado, and a single by Mitchell Klay before the Trailblazers' Caleb Welcome (Rensselaer, NY) could induce a ground ball to third by Garrett Chadwick to leave the game tied at 6-6 before the Trailblazers last raps.
  • Jacob led off the inning for MCLA by lining a 3-2 pitch into the left field corner and motoring all the way around to third before the ball could be retrieved. After Espling retired a pair of Trailblazers, the Owls intentionally walked the dangerous Bissaillon, choosing to face Daley with a possible forceout at second base. With a 2-1 count, Daley blooped a single just inside the line in shallow right field, bringing Jacob home with the game-winning run.
  • Welcome pitched one-third of an inning and was rewarded with his first victory, moving to 1-0. Espling allowed three runs in three and two-thirds innings while taking the loss to fall to 0-2.
• Game #2
  • With the teams trading home and away designations for the second game, MLA was again the first one on the scoreboard. Jasminski led off the game with a four-pitch walk and then stole second. Two batters later, Daley got the second straight RBI for MCLA, this time doubling on a 1-1 pitch to the right-center gap.
  • The lead would hold until the third inning when the speed of Golmon led to a run after he beat out an infield single to first base and moved all the way to third when MCLA starter Jasminski's pickoff attempt was wild, and a wild pitch allowed the right fielder to complete the circuit.
  • Golmon would provide the Owls with their first lead of the afternoon in the fifth, singling to centerfield, and again taking an extra base on a failed pickoff attempt. After a Maldonado fly to left, Golmon stole third and came home when the MCLA catcher's throw was in the dirt and couldn't be controlled.
  • Despite trailing for the first time in the afternoon, the Trailblazers responded with the top of their order in the sixth. Warriar started the rally with a one-out single to right-center and promptly stole his way to second. Bissaillon leveled the score with a single to center field, scoring Warriar. Two batters later, Bissaillon surprised everyone by taking off for second and picking up his third stolen base in three seasons at MCLA. Sardo's 1-1 single to centerfield brought Bissaillon home for a 3-2 lead. After Clayton Dutfield (Delmar, NY) legged out a sharp hit ground ball to second and his speed forcing an error on the Owl second bagger and setting MCLA up with runners on the corners, the aggressive Gladu again stepped forward for the Trailblazers, putting Dutfield motion before an 0-2 pitch and drawing a throw from the pitcher while Sardo scored an insurance run before Dutfield could be caught in a run down to end the inning.
  • After Jasminski set the Owls down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth on only nine pitches, UMPI's starter, Chadwick, responded by doing the same on 13 pitches.
  • Things would get interesting in the bottom of the inning when the Owls loaded the bases against Warriar who had traded places with Jasminski at the start of the inning, before inducing a long fly ball to Jacob in center by Romeo Davis for his first career save.
  • Jasminski recorded the win to level his record at 1-1, scattering six hits over six innings, allowing only two unearned runs while striking out five. Chadwick went the distance for the Owls, striking out eight while surrendering four runs, three earned, but falling to 1-1.

UP NEXT:

On Tuesday, MCLA will be back in action when it plays host to Anna Maria College at the Zavattaro Athletics Complex for a MASCAC matchup with the AMCATs. The first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.

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