When you’ve lost 55 in a row, you’re due.
At least, you hope so.
Hope turned into victory -- finally -- for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s baseball team on Saturday night, when the Hawks defeated Towson University at Meritus Park in Hagerstown, Md., 14-7.
The win was the first for UMES since May 2023.
While the historic losing streak -- the longest in the country -- did come to an end, things did not look good early on for the Hawks. In fact, it appeared as though their 56th consecutive defeat was looming after Towson scored five times in the first inning to jump out to a big lead.
But UMES would not be denied on this day, scoring one in the second inning, four in the third and five in the fourth. Though Towson responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, that’s all it would get the rest of the way, as reliever Wilfredo Morales tossed four hitless innings to pick up the save while the Hawks’ offense continued to roll.
First baseman Diego Aponte went 3-for-6 with a double and four RBIs, third baseman Ryan Davis doubled and homered while driving in two on a four-hit night, designated hitter Ryan Howe homered and drove in three and left fielder Jason Brown went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs for UMES.
It’s a classic tale of perseverance in athletics, and getting back up when you’re knocked down the way the Hawks did following a rough first inning. And another old adage comes to mind, of course: “It’s not how you start, but how you finish that matters.”
However you characterize it, the UMES baseball team only cared about one word on Saturday: win.