University of Maryland Eastern Shore junior right-hander Cameron Zimmerman pitched a complete game, helping the Hawks to a near-upset of West Virginia, 5-4, at Hawley Field Monday.
UMES (10-27), knotted the score at one in the forth and put pressure on the BIG EAST's Mountaineers to the end.
Sophomore captain Remo Orsini led the Hawks at the plate with a 2-for-3 day with a triple, a run and an RBI. Zimmerman (3-6) went eight innings, gave up nine hits and five walks. He also struck out three.
Austin Markel went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a double and two runs for the Mountaineers.
Markel banged a one-out double down the left-field line in the first to put a runner in scoring position. After two consecutive walks to load the bases, Dan DiBartolomeo lifted a fly to right that scored Markel from third to give WVU a 1-0 advantage.
The Hawks came back with a run in the fourth. Orsini took a 1-0 pitch to right field for a leadoff triple and fellow captain Pat Hercinger got him home with an RBI groundout to second.
The Mountaineers broke back on top, 2-1, in their half of the frame. Tobias Streich began the inning with a single through the left side and Joe Agreste followed with a sacrifice bunt before Grant Buckner put down one of his own to third base for a single, giving WVU runners on first and third with one out.
Mark Dvoroznak then hit into a fielder's choice to Zimmerman to scored Streich.
Markel added his home run to left in the fifth to make it 3-1, but the Hawks got the run back in the sixth when Hercinger came up big with a two-out single through the left side to score Franklin Armstrong.
WVU (26-7) extended its lead to three at 5-2 with RBI knocks in the seventh from DiBartolomeo and Agreste.
The Hawks got to within one in the top of the eighth. Josh Dunham, Tyler Love and drew a walk to start the inning followed by an Armstrong single to left that sent WVU starter Chase Pickering to the showers,
Chris Enourato came in and was a victim of a passed ball which advanced the UMES runners to second and third. Phil Vaughn then grounded to short, scoring Dunham. Orsini then singled up the middle, bringing in Armstrong.
Zimmerman kept the hosts off the scoreboard in the bottom of the inning and UMES threatened in their last at-bat putting two runners on first and second before Enourato buckled down foe his sixth save of the season.
Pickering (2-0) went seven innings, surrendering four hits, four runs, one walk and four strikeouts.
The Hawks face William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., Wednesday at 7 p.m.