GORHAM, Maine -- Junior Jake Glauser (Goffstown, N.H.) and rookie Paul McDonough (Wells, Maine) combined for six hits and six RBI as the University of Southern Maine Huskies defeated the Wheaton College Lyons, 12-3, in a non-conference baseball game between nationally-ranked teams Sunday at the USM Baseball Stadium.

            The win was the fifth straight for the Huskies since losing a week ago to the Lyons in Norton, Mass.  The Huskies are now 19-6 on the season.  The Lyons, coming off a three-game sweep against Emerson College and winners in 14 of their last 15 games, slip to 22-8-1.

            Glauser and McDonough each had a double and two singles, scored twice and knocked in three as the Huskies unleashed a 14-hit attack against three Lyons hurlers.  Senior Chris Bernard (Scarborough, Maine) had two doubles and drove in two, and sophomore Nick DiBiase (Portland, Maine/Deering) had two hits and scored three runs.

            Sophomore Dan Kinnon (Londonderry, N.H.), the second of five USM pitchers used in the game, picked up his first win of the campaign hurling 2.2 scoreless innings.  Kinnon allowed two hits and one walk while striking out three.

            Junior Apolinar De La Cruz (Providence, R.I./Classical) led the Lyons going 2 for 2 with a home run and two RBI.  Sophomore Matt Lavanchy (Walpole, Mass.) and junior Mike Beneduce (North Kingstown, R.I./Moses Brown School) had two hits apiece.  The Lyons 3-4-5 hitters combined for six of the Lyons' seven hits in the game.

            Senior right-hander Alec Palioca (Wrentham, Mass./King Philip Regional) started on the hill and took the loss.  Palioca allowed eight runs (three earned) on nine hits and two walks while fanning four.  Palioca and his pitching mates gave up only three earned runs in the game as the Lyons committed four errors in the field.

            USM grabbed a 4-0 lead against Palioca in the second inning.  Glauser brought in the first run with a double, and McDonough followed with a two-run double.  McDonough scored the fourth run of the frame on a single by senior John Carey (South Portland, Maine).

            The Lyons got one run back in the third on a sacrifice fly from De La Cruz that brought home junior Zach Bombard (Belchertown, Mass.).  Bombard walked to lead off the inning and moved to second on Lavanchy's one-out single.  Both runners moved up on a wild pitch before De La Cruz lifted a fly ball to left field.

            The Huskies put the game away with eight runs in the sixth inning.  Three Lyons errors led to all eight runs being unearned to the team.  McDonough had an RBI single to bring home the first run, and Glauser chased home the final two with a single.  In between, Bernard had a two-run double.

            De La Cruz homered leading off the eighth, and Beneduce scored the final run of the game on a groundout from junior Zach Horton (North Attleboro, Mass.) later in the inning.

            Southern Maine will travel tomorrow to face the University of Massachusetts Boston in a Little East Conference game.  The game was scheduled for Tuesday, but moved to Monday due to the weather forecast.  Wheaton will host Coast Guard in a NEWMAC game on Tuesday (3:30 p.m.). 

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