Box Score #6/#7 Southern Maine Thumps Washington U. (Mo.) 13-0
AUBURNDALE, Fla. -- The #6/#7 ranked University of Southern Maine Huskies pounded out 20 base hits against three Washington University (Mo.) hurlers to open their nine-game Florida swing with a 13-0, seven-inning victory at Lake Myrtle Park #3 Friday afternoon. The game was shortened to seven innings by the 10-run rule.
The win was the third straight to open the 2016 season for the Huskies. The Bears dropped to 13-8 overall after losing their fourth decision in the last five games, all to teams in the Top 25.
Sophomores Sam Stauble (Harrison, Maine/Bridgton Academy) and Brandon Martins (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) both went 4 for 4 to pace the Huskies' attack. Martins also scored a run and had four RBI while Stauble scored twice and knocked in one run.
Senior Sam Dexter (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) had a triple and two singles and scored three times. Senior Nick DiBiase (Portland, Maine/Deering) and sophomore Nick Bowie (South Paris, Maine/Oxford Hills) had two hits apiece.
Senior right-hander Shyler Scates (Jefferson, Maine/Erskine Academy) was the beneficiary of the Huskies' offensive prowess. Scates earned his second win of the season, and third career shutout, by scattering six hits, walking one and striking out three. The Bears were only able get a runner as far as second base on three occasions in the game.
Freshman DH Wright Lindgren (Ridgefield, Conn.) was the lone Bear to collect multiple base hits reaching Scates for a pair of singles. Junior right-hander Scott Nelson (Deer Park, Ill./Barrington), who started on the hill for WU, absorbed his fourth loss against one victory. Nelson went 3.1 innings allowing nine runs (seven earned) on 10 hits and two walks. He did not strike out a batter.
The Huskies reached Nelson for three, two-out runs in the first inning to grab the early lead. Senior Jake Glauser (Goffstown, N.H.) drove in the first run plating Dexter with a single. Two batters later, Martins knocked in two more runs with a bases-loaded single.
After Scates got out of the first inning with a 5-3 double play, the Huskies tacked on an unearned run in the second as Bowie scored on a ground out.
USM added two in third on a Martins RBI double and a two-out outfield error on Bowie's fly ball. The Huskies knocked Nelson out of the game in the fourth scoring three times. Junior Paul McDonough (Wells, Maine) drove in Dexter with a single to start the scoring. A walk to Glauser ended Nelson's day on the hill, and Stauble and Martins greeted rookie reliever Curtis Hoffman (Fort Wayne, Ind./Canterbury School) with back-to-back RBI singles to make 9-0.
Sophomore Kyle Heath (Westbrook, Maine) had a two-run double and rookie Kaleb Bridgham (Minot, Maine/Poland Regional) drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth to push the USM lead to 12-0. Dexter led off the seventh with a triple and scored on a sac fly by rookie Kip Richard (Kennebunk, Maine).
Southern Maine takes on #7/#5 University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse on Saturday (2:00 p.m.) at Chain O Lakes Park in Winter Haven, Fla. Washington University will play a three-game home series next Friday and Saturday against Illinois Wesleyan.
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