GORHAM, Maine -- Senior Troy Thibodeau (Danvers, Mass./New Hampton) and sophomore Sam Dexter (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) combined for six hits, three runs scored and three RBI as the #6/#7-ranked University of Southern Maine Huskies won their eighth straight game Friday afternoon defeating the visiting Bowdoin College Polar Bears 5-3 in a non-conference game at the USM Baseball Stadium.

            The Huskies improved to 22-6 overall.  The Polar Bears dropped their third straight game falling to 13-10-1 overall.  The two teams will meet again at Bowdoin on April 29.

            Thibodeau was 3 for 4 with a home run (first of the season), two runs scored and one RBI.  Dexter extended his hitting streak to 17 games by going 3 for 5 with a run scored and two RBI.  Senior Matt Verrier (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) had a pair of hits as USM reached four Bowdoin hurlers for 11 hits.

            Senior left-hander Logan Carman (Exeter, N.H.) worked the first five innings on the hill for USM and did not figure in the decision.  Junior right-hander Alex Tobey (South Berwick, Maine/Berwick Academy) got his second win hurling three hitless innings in relief.  Sophomore Ryan Browner (Georgetown, Mass.) pitched the ninth inning to record his first save of the season.

            Junior Aaron Rosen (Morganville, N.J./Marlboro) was the lone Bowdoin hitter with two hits.  Rosen had a first-inning single and a double in the fourth.  He also had two RBI.  Senior Christian Martin (Lake Bluff, Ill.), the second of four Bowdoin pitchers, was saddled with the tough-luck loss after working 1/3 of an inning.  Junior starter Henry Van Zant (Westport, Conn./Greens Farms Academy) worked five innings giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out six.

            USM took a 1-0 lead with an unearned run in the first inning.  Senior John Carey (South Portland, Maine) reached on a two-base infield throwing error and advanced to third on a wild pitch.  Dexter grounded out to bring Carey home.

            The Polar Bears scored an unearned run in the second to tie the game at 1-1.  After Carman got the first two outs, sophomore Chris Nadeau (Norfolk, Mass./St. Sebastian's) walked and advanced to second on a single by rookie Sean Mullaney (Leominster, Mass./Lawrence Academy).  Nadeau would score when Rosen's ground ball was misplayed for an error.

            In the third inning, Dexter singled and scored on senior Chris Bernard's (Scarborough, Maine) 16th double of the season.  Bowdoin came right back in the fourth inning to tie the game as Nadeau again walked with two outs and scored on Rosen's double.

            Thibodeau gave USM its third lead of the day lashing a line drive home run down the left-field line leading off the home half of the fourth.

            Tobey came on for Carman in the sixth and the first batter he faced, Mullaney, reached on a two-base infield error.  Mullaney moved to third on a passed ball and scored on Rosen's sacrifice fly.  After Mullaney reached on the error, Tobey and Browner combined to set down 12 straight Polar Bear hitters.

            The Huskies took the lead for good scoring twice in the bottom of the sixth. Carey's ground out drove in Thibodeau who led off the inning with a single.  Dexter drove in the second run with a single.  Both runs were charged to Martin who left the game after being struck on the hand by a line drive off the bat of USM rookie Paul McDonough (Wells, Maine).

            Southern Maine hosts Plymouth State University tomorrow (12:00 p.m.) for a Little East Conference twinbill.  Bowdoin is at home on Saturday (12:00 p.m.) hosting Williams College in a NESCAC doubleheader. 

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