The SwampBats were shut out for the first time all season in a 6-0 loss in the opener of their three game series against the Sanford Mainers on Thursday in Maine. 

Austin Hawke (Wake Forest) drew a walk and stole second with two outs in the second, but advanced no further. After the Mainers loaded the bases without a hit in the bottom half, a two-run single that appeared to land on the chalk down the left field line gave them a 2-0 lead. The SwampBats middle infielders Nick Romano (Florida Atlantic) and Ripken Reese (Kent State) then turned a double play against Jared Davis, one of the fastest players in the league, with a runner at third to end the inning. Reese hit a double to the wall in the next inning, but was thrown out trying to steal third. With runners at first and second in the bottom of the third, Jake Koonin (Princeton) caught a flyball near the warning track and as both runners tagged up, fired to Romano, the cutoff man, who redirected the ball to second base for a rally-killing out. Jake Millan (Florida Atlantic) singled to left with two outs in the fourth, but nothing came of it. Starter Nick Timpanelli (Charleston Southern) exited with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, having recorded two strikeouts. Joe Carrea (Connecticut) threw one pitch to get the final out of the fourth with two runners on base

The Mainers began the bottom of the fifth with a hustle double, and then stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0. The next hitter reached third on a single, a steal, and an error, but was stranded 90 feet away. Carrea left after recording one out in the sixth and pitched a total of one and two-thirds innings, striking out one. In the top of the eighth, Joe Jaconski (Penn State) and Romano hit back-to-back line drive singles with two outs to bring the tying run to the plate but all-star pitcher for the Mainers Connor Ball got the final out of the inning with his 118th pitch, completing eight shutout innings. In the bottom of the eighth, Sanford added three runs on four hits and a wild pitch to make it 6-0 as Jake Bean (Kent State) got the final two outs. Keene went down in order in the ninth

The Mainers lead the best-of-three series 1-0. Game two of the series is on Friday at Alumni Field at 6:35 pm. Gates open at 5.