Box Score Four-Run 7th Inning Lifts Southern Maine Past UMass Dartmouth 5-2
PLYMOUTH, Mass. -- The University of Southern Maine baseball team scored four runs in the seventh inning to erase a 2-1 deficit and defeat the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 5-2, in a non-conference game Sunday afternoon at Plymouth (Mass.) North High School.
The win snapped a two-game skid for the Huskies and improved their overall record to 9-5. The Corsairs lost for the third time in the last four games to slip to 5-4 overall. The two teams will meet again for a Little East Conference doubleheader at Southern Maine on May 1.
The Huskies scored four times on two hits, two walks and two Corsair errors in the seventh to take their first lead of the game. Rookie Devin Warren (Smithfield, Maine/Messalonskee) opened the inning with a single, and took second on an outfield error. Freshman Nick Bowie (South Paris, Maine/Oxford, Maine) walked to put runners at first and second. Freshman Brandon Martins (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) laid down a sacrifice bunt that resulted in all runners being safe as the Corsairs failed to get Warren at third.
With the bases loaded, junior Sam Dexter (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) singled to right to drive in Warren with the tying run. Junior right-handed pitcher Matt Russell (Townsend, Mass./North Middlesex) came on for the Corsairs and walked sophomore Paul McDonough (Wells, Maine) to force home Bowie with the go ahead run. The third run of the inning came home on a double play, and Dexter tallied the final run when the Corsairs committed an error on a double steal attempt.
USM sophomore right-hander Nick George (Peabody, Mass.) survived a shaky first inning on the mound to go 7 1/3 innings allowing seven hits and one walk while striking out two to earn his first win of the season. Senior Andrew Richards (South Portland, Maine) came on to retire five in a row to get his first save of the season.
In the first inning, the Corsairs loaded the bases on three straight singles. Senior Alberto Vasquez (Roxbury, Mass./O'Bryant) drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly. George got a big break when a Corsair base running gaff produced the second out before sophomore Taylor Cacciola (West Greenwich, R.I./Exeter-West Greenwich) singled home the second run for a 2-0 lead.
The Huskies cut the deficit to one in the third inning as senior Brendon Joyce (Standish, Maine/Gorham) tripled and scored on a wild pitch.
Dexter and sophomore Matt Bender (Walpole, Mass.) had two hits apiece for the Huskies. Senior Cory DeMedeiros (Fall River, Mass./Durfee) was the lone repeat hitter for the Corsairs.
Junior Aaron Chouinard (Swansea, Mass./Joseph Case), the second of five UMD hurlers, was charged with all four seventh-inning runs and tagged with the loss.
Southern Maine is scheduled to play Thursday (3:30 p.m.) at Salem State University. The game was moved to Salem State due to USM's home field not being ready. USM's April 1 home opener with Bowdoin College has been rescheduled to April 10. UMass Dartmouth will play a rescheduled Little East Conference doubleheader with the University of Massachusetts Boston on Monday (9:00 a.m.). The twinbill will be played at Salem State.
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