GORHAM, Maine -- Senior Forrest Chadwick (Gardiner, Maine) went 5 for 5 with five runs scored and five RBI in the opening game as the University of Southern Maine Huskies swept the Western Connecticut State University Colonials, 13-6 and 12-1 (7 innings), in a Little East Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at the USM Baseball Stadium.

            Chadwick became the first USM player since Tucker White in 2012 to hit for the cycle in the opening game.  Chadwick hit his first home run of the season the first inning followed by a single in third and a double in the fifth.  After stroking another single in the seventh, Chadwick completed the cycle with a triple in the eighth inning.

            USM sophomore starting pitchers Shyler Scates (Jefferson, Maine/Erskine Academy) and Tyler Leavitt (North Andover, Mass.) each picked up their fifth wins of the season.  Scates pitched into the eighth inning of the first game while Leavitt went six innings in the nightcap. 

Game One

            Led by Chadwick, the Huskies built a 7-0 lead over the first three innings.  Chadwick accounted for both runs in the first inning with his two-run homer to left-center field.  In the third inning, the Huskies sent 10 men to the plate to score five times.  Chadwick brought in the first run with a single.  Senior Troy Thibodeau (Danvers, Mass./New Hampton) drove in the final two runs with a single.

            The Colonials pecked away at the deficit over the next two innings scoring twice in the both frames.  In the fourth, junior Alex Iglesias (Mohegan Lake, N.Y./Lakeland) drove in a run with a double and rookie Tré Gause (Brookfield, Conn.) chased in a run with a groundout.  Senior Nick Briatico (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Central) hit a two-run homer in the fifth to make it 7-4.

            The Huskies added a single runs in the fifth and seventh to push their margin to 9-4.  Briatico led off the Western Conn. eighth with his second round tripper of the game, and rookie Gabe Felix (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Ketcham) scored on an outfield miscue after Iglesias singled.  That brought on junior right-hander Andrew Richards (South Portland, Maine) who got a double play to end the inning.  Richards retired the side in order in the ninth to earn his third save.

            USM put the game away in the home half of the eighth with four runs.  Chadwick had the big blow with his two-run triple.

            Sophomore Sam Dexter (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) and senior Chris Bernard (Scarborough, Maine) each had two hits for the Huskies.  Briatico went 3 for 4 with three runs scored and three RBI to lead the Colonials.  Inglesias, senior Jeff John (Trumbull, Conn.) and rookie Peter Nanos (Farmington, Conn.) had two hits apiece.

            Sophomore Todd Lyons (Norwalk, Conn.) pitched a complete game for the Colonials.  Lyons surrendered 13 hits while walking three and striking out nine.  Lyons did not get a lot of defensive support as his mates made seven errors in the game. 

Game Two

            Leavitt provided the Huskies with strong starting pitching holding the Colonials to just one hit over the first four innings.  The Colonials only touched Leavitt for two hits and an unearned run over six innings.  Leavitt walked four and struck out five.

            The Huskies reached two Western Conn hurlers for 14 hits.  Bernard led the hit parade with a double and two singles.  Rookie Paul McDonough (Wells, Maine), sophomore Nick DiBiase (Portland, Maine/Deering), junior Jake Glauser (Goffstown, N.H.) and Dexter each had two hits.

            Nanos had a bloop single over the mound in the fourth, and rookie EJ Lavoie (East Granby, Conn.) singled to left field in the fifth for the only Colonial hits.  Sophomore starter Tyler Eastwood (Newington, Conn.) went 4.1 innings allowing 11 runs (8 earned) on 11 hits and two walks and struck out one.  Eastwood dropped to 1-4 on the season.

            The Huskies scored at least once in each of their six turns at the plate.  Dexter, Chadwick and Bernard drove in runs in the first to stake Leavitt to a 3-0 lead.  McDonough had an RBI single in the second to increase the lead to 4-0.

            USM scored twice in the third on a wild pitch and a Bernard single.  McDonough had an RBI triple in the fourth and scored on senior John Carey's (South Portland, Maine) groundout.  Carey would have an RBI triple in the Huskies' three-run fifth inning.

            Western Connecticut scored its lone run in the sixth to make it 11-1.  Briatico walked and moved to second on an Inglesias groundout.  Briatico would score on an infield error before Leavitt finished his day with a strikeout. 

Up Next

            Southern Maine is back in action Sunday afternoon (1:00 p.m.) hosting Wheaton College.  Western Connecticut will host Keene State College in a rescheduled LEC doubleheader on Sunday (12:00 p.m.).

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