Huskies Pound Out 15 Hits Against Profs

            WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- Junior right-hander Shyler Scates (Jefferson, Maine/Erskine Academy) pitched eight strong innings to earn his second win of the season as the 8th-ranked University of Southern Maine Huskies (6-2) defeated 23rd-ranked Rowan University (3-4) Monday morning at Chain O' Lakes Field.

            Scates allowed eight hits and no walks while striking out four over his eight innings of work.  Juniors Dan Kinnon (Londonderry, N.H.) and Ryan Browner (Georgetown, Mass.) combined to retire the side in order in the ninth inning with Browner getting his first save of the season.

            Senior Brendon Joyce (Standish, Maine/Gorham) led the Huskies' 14-hit offense with three hits and two RBI.  Sophomore Paul McDonough (Wells, Maine) had a double and his third home run of the season.  Junior Sam Dexter (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) and rookies Anthony Capuano (Bangor, Maine) and Thomas Zarro (Billerica, Mass.) had a pair of safeties.

            Sophomore Jason Clapper (Mount Laurel, N.J.) had a double, a single and scored twice for the Profs.  Senior Kevin McMenamin (Maple Shade, N.J.) had two singles and an RBI.  Junior right-hander Andrew Lysy (Allentown, N.J.) started on the mound and took the loss for the Profs.  He allowed 11 hits, six runs (five earned), and one walk while fanning five in six innings.

            The Huskies jumped out to a 6-0 lead in their first two turns at the plate getting an unearned run in the first, and five runs in the second.

            In the second frame, three straight singles by Zarro and freshmen Brandon Martins (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) and Nick Bowie (South Paris, Maine/Oxford Hills) produced the first run.  McDonough followed with an RBI double, and Joyce tacked up two more runs with the Huskies' fifth consecutive hit.  Singles by Dexter and Capuano loaded the bases for sophomore Matt Bender (Walpole, Mass.) who drove in the fifth run with a fielder's choice.

            The Profs nicked Scates for a run in the home half of the second on a double by Clapper and an infield error.  Clapper scored the Profs second run in the fourth scoring on a single by rookie Monny Strickland (Egg Harbor Twp., N.J.), but another potential run was cut down at the plate on a strong relay throw from Dexter to Joyce to end the inning.

            Rowan pulled within two (6-4) in the fifth inning on back-to-back RBI singles by McMenamin and senior Casey Grimes (Gibbstown, N.J.).  Scates got out of the jam without further damage, and allowed only one hit over the next three innings before turning the game over to the bullpen.

            McDonough hit his second round tripper in as many days in the ninth inning for the final run.

            Southern Maine concludes its 10-game southern swing on Tuesday with a doubleheader against Worcester State University at Lake Myrtle Field in Auburndale, Fla.  Rowan has a single game on Tuesday (9:30 a.m.) against Benedictine University at Chain O' Lakes Field. 

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