#6/#7 Southern Maine Downs St. Scholastica 5-3

            AUBURNDALE, Fla. -- The #6#7 University of Southern Maine Huskies took advantage of three hits, a hit batsman and an infield error to score four times in the second inning en route to a 5-3 victory over the College of St. Scholastica Saints in non-conference baseball action Sunday at Lake Myrtle Field #8.

            The undefeated Huskies improved their overall record to 4-0.  The Saints dipped to 3-2 heading into an afternoon game with Salve Regina University.

            Trailing 1-0 coming to bat in the bottom of the second inning, the Huskies got started when CSS senior right-hander Daniel Wood (Canyon, Minn.) hit junior Paul McDonough (Wells, Maine) with a pitch, and senior Jake Glauser (Goffstown, N.H.) reached on an error.  Rookie Kip Richard (Kennebunk, Maine) advanced both runners with a ground out to the right side.  Sophomore Sam Stauble (Harrison, Maine/Bridgton Academy) brought both runners home with a single to give the Huskies the lead.

            Rookie Jake Dexter (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) followed Stauble with a single.  After a fly out, senior Nick DiBiase (Portland, Maine/Deering) slammed a triple to drive in Stauble and Jake Dexter to increase the Huskies' lead to 4-1.

            Freshman right-hander Dalton Rice (Waterford, Maine/Oxford Hills) cruised along until the fifth before surrendering a pair of runs on two-out RBI singles by seniors Austin Colvard (Little Canada, Minn.) and Al Marolt (Lino Lakes, Minn.).  Rice escaped further damage getting a ground ball for the final out.

            The Huskies added an insurance run off rookie reliever Isaac Rocha (Owatonna, Minn.) in the seventh inning.  Sophomore Nick Bowie (South Paris, Maine/Oxford Hills) led off the frame with a single, and advanced to third on a one-out single by classmate Brandon Martins (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor).  Senior Sam Dexter (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) brought Bowie home with a sacrifice fly to center field.

            Rice went five innings to gain his second win in as many starts.  Senior Dan Kinnon (Londonderry, N.H.) and freshman Matt Correale (Peabody, Mass.) combined for four innings of three-hit shutout relief.  Kinnon went 1.2 innings allowing one hit and two walks while striking out two.  Correale earned his second save going 2.1 innings surrendering two hits and striking out four.

            Glauser and Stauble had a pair of hits to lead the Huskies' nine-hit attack.

            Wood took the loss for the Saints after going six innings.  He gave up four runs (one earned) on six hits and no walks while striking out five.  Austin Colvard and junior Trevor Bernsdorf (Meadowlands, Minn.) had two hits, and sophomore Drew Colvard (Little Canada, Minn.) had a double.

            Southern Maine will play two games on Monday taking on Salve Regina (11:00 a.m.) and Rochester Institute of Technology (2:30 p.m.).

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