Southern Maine Downs Bates 10-4; Flaherty Get 900th Career Win

            LEWISTON, Maine -- The University of Southern Maine scored five times in the fifth inning to overcome a 3-2 deficit and went on to defeat Bates College 10-4 in non-conference baseball action Thursday afternoon at Leahey Field.

            For veteran USM head coach Ed Flaherty, the win was the 900th of his stellar career.  Now in his 30th season at USM, Flaherty has a 900-403-4 career record (.690 W-L pct.).  The Huskies raised their overall record to 21-9 on the season with their third straight win.  The Bobcats had their two-game winning streak stopped, and slipped to 11-13 overall.  The two teams will play again next Wednesday (4:00 p.m.) at USM.

            The Huskies took a 2-0 lead in the second inning when rookie Thomas Zarro (Billerica, Mass.) doubled in a run, and classmate Brandon Martins (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) plated the second run with a sacrifice fly.

            Bates got one back in its half of the inning on rookie Reed Mszar's (Manassas, Va./Osbourn Park) sacrifice fly.  Bates took a 3-2 lead in the third inning scoring a pair runs.  Senior Mekae Hyde (Lewiston, Maine) scored on a passed ball to tie the game, and senior Rockwell Jackson (Fort Worth, Texas/All Saints' Episcopal School) crossed the plate on junior Conor Reenstierna's (Lincoln, Mass./St. Sebastian's) sacrifice.

            Southern Maine exploded for five markers in the fifth inning to take the lead for good.  Junior Sam Dexter (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) ignited the rally with a two-run single.  The Huskies took advantage of some sloppy Bates infield defense on back-to-back plays to score two more runs, and senior Brendon Joyce (Standish, Maine/Gorham) brought home the fifth run with an infield single.

            The Huskies added on three runs in the sixth, again with the benefit of Bates miscues, to take a 10-3 lead.  Sophomore Paul McDonough (Wells, Maine) brought home the first run with a single.  Dexter scored an unearned run when sophomore Damon Wallace's (Gorham, Maine) fielder's choice grounder was mishandled.  McDonough scored the third run on a fielder's choice.

            Joyce and junior Nick DiBiase (Portland, Maine/Deering) had two hits apiece for the Huskies.  Junior left-handed reliever Dan Kinnon (Londonderry, N.H.) picked up his first win of the season allowing one run over four innings.  Kinnon gave up two hits and walked four while striking out four.  Classmate Ryan Browner (Georgetown, Mass.) hurled two innings of scoreless one-hit relief to finish.

            Hyde and Jackson had two hits each for the Bobcats as both sides had nine hits in the game.  Sophomore Robert Jones (South Berwick, Maine/Marshwood), the second of seven Bates pitchers used in the game, was tagged with the loss.  Jones retired the side in order in the fourth inning, but gave up four straight hits to open the fifth inning before being lifted.

            Southern Maine is back in action on Saturday (12:00 p.m.) hosting Keene State College for a Little East Conference doubleheader.  Bates begins a three-game NESCAC series at Tufts University with a single game on Friday (3:00 p.m.). 

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