AUBURNDALE, Fla. -- Junior Nick Gezotis (Westfield, Mass.) went 6 for 9 with five RBI as the Worcester State University Lancers swept the University of Southern Maine Huskies, 8-3 and 8-4, in a pair of seven-inning games Thursday afternoon at Lake Myrtle Park #2.

            The sweep helped the Lancers snap a four-game losing streak and improve to 4-8 on the season.  The Huskies had their four-game winning string stopped and fell to 5-3.

            Gezotis had three hits, including a double, and three RBI in the opening game.  He came back with two doubles, a single, two RBI and two runs scored in the nightcap.

            Sophomore Dan Ubele (Tyngsboro, Mass.), rookie Jeff Bolio (Oxford, Mass.) and junior Kurt Sabacinski (Worcester, Mass./St. Peter Marian) each had two hits in the Lancers' 12-hit attack in the first game.  Sophomore Joseph Carlier (Rockland, Mass.) was the Lancers only other repeat hitter in the second game.

            For the Huskies, senior Anthony Pisani (Cheshire, Conn./Notre Dame) and sophomore Forrest Chadwick (Gardiner, Maine) two hits apiece in the opener.  No USM hitter had more than one hit in the second game.

            Junior southpaw Nick Bonofiglio (Worcester, Mass./Holy Name) picked up his second win of the season for the Lancers in the first game going 6.1 innings allowing eight hits and five walks while fanning one.  Junior right-hander Alex Teal (Malden, Mass.) combined with two relievers in the second game to hold the Huskies to five hits and three walks while striking out seven.  Teal went the first five innings to get the win and evened his record at 2-2.

            Sophomore reliever Matt Powers (Portland, Maine/Deering), the second of four USM hurlers, took the loss in the opener.  Rookie Alex Tobey (South Berwick, Maine/Berwick Academy), making his first collegiate appearance in the nightcap, went 4.1 innings and took the loss.

            Worcester State took the opener on the strength of a five-run seven-inning rally.  Tied 3-3, freshman Zachary George (Attleboro, Mass.) and senior Jack Rafferty (Thompson, Conn./Tourtellotte) walked with the bases loaded to force home the first two runs.  Gezotis then brought all three runners across with a double down the left field line.

            USM had built a 2-0 lead with single runs in the first and second innings.  Sophomore Matt Verrier (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) had an RBI single in the first, and senior David Ricker (Winthrop, Maine) produced an RBI ground out in the second.

            After the Lancers scored three in the fourth, the Huskies tied the game in the fifth as Pisani scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of junior Tucker White (Deerfield, N.H./Coe-Brown Northwood).

            In the second game, the Huskies grabbed a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning, benefitting from two WSU miscues and an RBI single by junior Nick Grady (Whitefield, Maine/Erskine Academy).

            The Lancers scored two in the first and two more in the second to take a 4-3 lead.  Gezotis had a two-run double in the second.

            Worcester State put the game away with a four-run outburst in the fifth bunching together six hits.  Gezotis sparked the rally with a leadoff double.

            Southern Maine returns to play Friday (10:00 a.m.) with a single game against Western New England University.  After a day off, Worcester State will finish its southern swing on Saturday with games against the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) and Sewanee.

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