Box Score (With contributions from Babson College Sports Information)
BABSON PARK, Mass. -- The University of Southern Maine scored 13 runs in the first four innings, then withstood a late comeback attempt by host Babson College, to take a 16-9 victory Wednesday afternoon in a non-conference baseball game at Govoni Field.
The win was the third straight for the Huskies and improved their overall record to 17-14. The Beavers slip to 25-12 on the season.
Sophomore Tucker White (Deerfield, N.H./Coe-Brown Northwood) had another big day going 4 for 5 with a homer and three RBI. Classmate Nick Grady (Whitefield, Maine/Erskine Academy) also went 4 for 5 with three RBI. Rookie Forrest Chadwick (Gardiner, Maine) and senior Mike Eaton (Sabattus, Maine/Oak Hill) each had three hits, including a home run. Rookie Troy Thibodeau (Danvers, Mass./New Hampton) hit his first career home run.
The Huskies' triumph spoiled a magnificent day for Babson senior Dave Ahern (Bedford, Mass.) who hit a school record tying three home runs and had four RBI. Sophomore Chris Kucher (Westwood, Mass.) had four hits, including a double, and sophomore Joe Nixon (Foxboro, Mass.) had a double and two singles.
USM jumped on Babson starting pitcher Trevor MacNeill (Hanover, Mass.) scoring four runs in the first inning, three coming home on White's fourth home run of the season, and third in the last two games. The Beavers got two back on Ahern's two-run shot.
Thibodeau led off the second inning for USM with a solo shot to left field. Grady had a two-run single as the Huskies scored another four runs. Again the Beavers came back with a pair of runs on a fielder's choice and Nixon's RBI single.
Southern Maine sent ten men to the plate in the fourth to score five times. With one out, USM strung together five consecutive singles resulting in three runs before sophomore Christian Hamilton (Westbrook, Maine) laid down a squeeze bunt to plate the fourth run. Thibodeau knocked in his second run with a single to cap the outburst.
Ahern sparked a four-run rally in the fifth, leading off the inning with his second home run. He would lead off the sixth with his record-tying third round tripper to pull the Beavers back within four at 13-9.
The Huskies tallied a pair of insurance runs in the seventh on Eaton's two-run homer, his 11th of the season, and a single marker in the eighth coming on Chadwick's solo blast. Junior Dustin Stanton (Cornish, Maine/Sacopee Valley) and Eaton combined to pitch four scoreless innings of relief to preserve the win.
Southern Maine is off until Saturday (12:00 p.m.) when it hosts Keene State College for an important Little East Conference doubleheader. Babson will travel to Rhode Island College for a non-conference game on Thursday (3:30 p.m.).
-ble-
