NEW CASTLE, Del. – Despite a pair of RBI singles from Jeffrey Fleetwood, the Hawks fell to Wilmington 14-4 at Jim Sherman Sr. Stadium on Thursday.  UMES now stands at 5-26 this season while Wilmington goes to 23-9.

With two outs in the top of the first, Tre-von Johnson reached on an infield single.  Wilmington starter Jason Sietler struck out Byron Campbell, but Campbell reached first on a dropped third strike.  Fleetwood lined a single to right to score Johnson and give the Hawks an early 1-0 lead.

The Wildcats countered in the bottom of the first.  After Jordan Johnson led off with a single, Jon Castro lined a triple down the left field line for an RBI.  Josh Hampton hit a sacrifice fly to right against starter James Smith to score Castro, pushing the home team ahead 2-1.

Next half-inning, Malik Wylie led off with a walk.  Next batter, Connor Breslin belted a double down the left field line to score Wylie.  Hitting a double next was Joshua James, bringing in Breslin and giving UMES back the lead 3-2.

The home team tied the game in the following half-inning after Brandon Payne hit a double, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored two batters later on a Ryan Richards single to right.

In the bottom of the third, Wilmington took back the lead against UMES reliever Zachary Saca.  The Wildcats scored three runs, capped by a Frank Samluk RBI single, for a 6-3 advantage.

Wilmington added a pair more in the bottom of the fourth on a Sam Giones two-run triple, then four runs in the fifth on a double steal and a Josh Hampton three-run home run to take a 12-3 lead.

UMES got a run back in the sixth inning.  Stephen Bull led off with a walk and took second on a wild pitch.  After Johnson walked, Fleetwood hit a fly ball single down the left field line, scoring Bull and making the score 12-4 Wilmington.

On the hill, Michael Epps held down the Wildcats in the sixth and seventh innings without allowing a run.

The Hawks did not score again in the game as the Wildcats got two more on a Joe El-Bisi triple in the eighth as Wilmington took the win 14-4.

Neither starter had a decision in the game.  Smith had three runs charged in two innings with a strikeouts, while Sietler also went two frames and surrendered three runs.

The win went to reliever Justin Risko (1-0), who went 1.2 innings without a run allowed.  Saca got the loss with three runs in the third inning.

Fleetwood reached base three times on Thursday, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.  Breslin also had a multi-hit day, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run.  Campbell went 1-for-3 with two walks and a stolen base, extending his reached base streak to 28 consecutive games.

For the Wildcats, Hampton brought in four runs, including a three-run home run in a1-for-4 day.  Joshua Johnson went 2-for-4 from the leadoff spot, scoring two runs.

For the complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com