Huskies Finish Florida Swing 7-3

            AUBURNDALE, Fla. -- Junior Sam Dexter (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) went 4 for 4 with two runs scored and two RBI as the University of Southern Maine baseball team banged out 17 hits en route to a 16-1 victory over Worcester State University in the nightcap of the teams' doubleheader Tuesday at Lake Myrtle Field.

            In the opening game, Worcester State used a six-run outburst in the second inning to take an 8-4 victory.  The doubleheader split gives the Huskies 7-3 overall record for their 10-game Florida swing.  The Lancers, now 2-5 overall, have four games remaining on their Florida trip. 

Game One

            The Lancers parlayed five hits and two walks into six runs to erase a 2-0 deficit.  Senior Zach George (Attleboro, Mass.) gave the Lancers a 4-2 lead with a bases-loaded double to chase home three runs.  George scored when sophomore Jake Ryan (Whitinsville, Mass./Northbridge) followed with a triple to right-center field.  Sophomore Adam Barry (Auburn, Mass./Holy Name) brought Ryan home with a single.

            Worcester State added single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to increase its advantage to 8-2.

            Southern Maine took a 2-0 lead scoring a pair of unearned runs in the top half of the second.  Sophomore Jake Welch (Londonderry, N.H.) scored the first run on a double steal, and rookie Devin Warren (Smithfield, Maine/Messalonskee) scored on an RBI single by rookie Nick Bowie (South Paris, Maine/Oxford Hills).

            The Huskies picked up two more unearned runs in the seventh on an RBI double from sophomore Paul McDonough (Wells, Maine) and an RBI fielder's choice form Dexter.

            McDonough went 3 for 4 with a double and two singles, and sophomore Matt Bender (Walpole, Mass.) had two singles.  Barry was the lone Lancer to have multiple hits.

            Sophomore Zack Bean (Westbrook, Maine) worked the first five innings on the hill for the Huskies and took the loss.  Sophomore Tyler Barrie (Oxford, Mass.) earned his first win for WSU going six innings. 

Game Two

            The Huskies busted open a 4-1 game with seven runs in the fifth inning, and five more in the sixth to turn the game into a blowout.  Dexter opened the fifth with a single, and later had an RBI single as the Huskies sent 12 men to the plate.  McDonough had a two-run single in the middle of the rally.

            Senior Dylan Morris (Bangor, Maine) had the key hit in the sixth inning, a bases-loaded triple.  Rookie Thomas Zarro (Billerica, Mass.) also had an RBI triple in the inning.

            Welch had three hits, including a double and a triple, and three RBI.  McDonough had two hits, two runs scored and three RBI.  Junior Nick DiBiase (Portland, Maine/Deering) had a pair of hits and three runs scored.

            Senior Andrew Richards (South Portland, Maine) earned his third win of the season with four innings of two-hit shutout relief.

            WSC sophomore right-hander Neil Begley (Springfield, Mass.), who worked four innings allowing seven hits and four runs, took the loss. 

Up Next

            Southern Maine has a scheduled game in Haverhill, Mass., on Sunday (2:00 p.m.) against Western New England University.  Worcester State will play a doubleheader against Mt. St. Vincent College on Thursday (10:00 a.m.).