Box Score Joyce Leads Southern Maine Past Bowdoin 6-2
BRUNSWICK, Maine -- Senior Brendon Joyce (Standish, Maine/Gorham) hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning to spark the visiting University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 6-2 non-conference victory over the Bowdoin College Polar Bears at Pickard Field Thursday afternoon.
The win was the second straight, and seven in the last eight games, for the Huskies who improved to 25-10. The Polar Bears dropped to 14-18.
With one out in the fifth inning, sophomore Paul McDonough (Wells, Maine) singled up the middle, and classmate Matt Bender (Walpole, Mass.) was hit by a pitch to bring Joyce to the plate. Joyce drove a pitch from junior Michael Staes (Salt Lake City, Utah) over the right-field fence for his second career home run and a 4-1 lead for the Huskies.
Joyce scored an insurance run in the seventh inning when he doubled to lead off the inning, advance to third on a double by freshman Devin Warren (Smithfield, Maine/Messalonskee) and scored on a single by rookie Anthony Capuano (Bangor, Maine) to make it 6-2. Joyce finished the game as the Huskies' lone repeat hitter.
Rookie right-hander Bobby Delaney (Merrick, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) pitched into the eighth inning to earn his third win of the season. Delaney gave up two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three. Senior Andrew Richards (South Portland, Maine), the third of three USM relievers to see time on the mound, went the final 1 1/3 innings to earn his sixth save of the season.
Senior Sam Canales (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) had a double and single to lead the Polar Bears' seven-hit attack. Staes gave up four runs on five hits, two walks and three hit batters over five innings to take his second loss against two wins.
Southern Maine took a 1-0 in the first inning as junior Sam Dexter (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee), who had a one-out double, scored on Bender's sacrifice fly.
Canales doubled with one out in the second inning, and scored on a single by junior Stephen Girolamo (Peabody, Mass.) to tie the game at 1-1. The scored would remain tied until Joyce's homer in the fifth.
Bowdoin chopped a run off the deficit after Joyce's home run in the fifth when rookie Joe Gentile (Groton, Mass./Groton School) scored on a fielder's choice by senior Aaron Rosen (Morganville, N.J./Marlboro).
The Huskies added an insurance run in the sixth when rookie Brandon Martins (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) scored on a sacrifice fly by McDonough.
Bowdoin threatened in the eighth inning loading the bases with two outs to bring on Richards. Richards got the Huskies out of the inning getting sophomore pinch hitter Evann Dumont-LaPointe (Kirkland, Que./Hill School) to ground into a fielder's choice to end the inning.
Southern Maine hosts the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth for a Little East Conference doubleheader tomorrow (12:00 p.m.). Bowdoin is back in action on Saturday (12:00 p.m.) hosting Middlebury College for a doubleheader.
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