Maine’s Gianni Gambardella wins his second America East Rookie of the Week this season

ORONO, Maine (WABI) - Maine freshman pitcher Gianni Gambardella won America East Rookie of the Week honors for the second time this season after tossing seven shutout innings in a 9-0 win over UMBC on Sunday.

It was his second win over the Retrievers this spring.

Gambardella described how his pitches worked against the UMBC lineup, and head coach Nick Derba gave a look at how he could be used in the America East Tournament.

“Going into those games, the main thing I was just thinking about was keeping it in the zone, throwing strikes, and making them swing at the ball. I wanted to be competitive in the zone. It’s amazing, but I’ve got to give it to the guys behind me making all the plays,” said Gambardella.

“He’s got good stuff and commands the ball well. Half the battle is being able to pound the zone with some real command and not just splitting plate or missing the strike zone. When he goes out there, we expect him to be able to go out and show us a three-pitch mix,” said Derba.

Gambardella’s first America East Rookie of the Week award came after opening weekend.

Next up, the Black Bears have a five-game road swing against the likes of Merrimack and NJIT before finishing the regular season at home against Bryant.

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