Box Score UW-Whitewater Blanks Southern Maine 2-0
AUBURNDALE, Fla. -- Juniors Ankur Shah (St. Charles, Ill.) and Matt Langlie (Mundelein, Ill.) combined to spin a six-hitter as the undefeated University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks shut out the University of Southern Maine Huskies 2-0 in a battle of Top 10 teams Friday at Lake Myrtle Field #4.
The win was the seventh straight for the Warhawks on their season-opening Florida swing. The Huskies had their two-game winning streak stopped and fell to 6-3. Both teams were ranked in the Top 10 this week by D3baseball.com and in ABCA Division III Coaches Poll.
Shah, making his first start of the season, went eight innings allowing just five singles while striking out seven to earn his first win. He did not walk a batter. Langlie earned his first save pitching a scoreless ninth inning.
Shah and USM rookie southpaw Henry Curran (South Portland, Maine) were hooked up in a scoreless pitchers dual until the bottom of the fourth. With one out, junior Steve Chamberlain (Rockford, Ill.) walked and moved up to second on a single by sophomore Austin Jones (Madison, Wis.). The duo moved up a base on a double steal, and Chamberlain scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of junior Jordan Kuczynski (Germantown, Wis.) to break the scoreless tie.
In the sixth, senior Dane Burman (Milton, Wis.) drew a leadoff walk, and scored on Jones' one-out double that ended Curran's day on the hill. Curran went 5 1/3 innings allowing the two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three.
Senior Ryan Browner (Georgetown, Mass.) and rookie Ryan Gaydou (Dartmouth, Mass.) combined for 2 2/3 innings of scoreless no-hit relief for the Huskies.
Sophomore Sam Stauble (Harrison, Maine) had two hits for the Huskies to extend his hitting streak to nine games. Stauble was the only USM player to reach second base against Shah, that coming in the second inning when he singled and stole second.
The Huskies managed to get the potential tying run on base against Langlie in the ninth. With two outs, junior Paul McDonough (Wells, Maine) walked and Stauble singled to put runners on first and second, but Langlie got the final out on a foul out to the catcher.
Southern Maine concludes its Florida swing on Saturday (10:00 a.m.) playing the University of St. Thomas (Minn.). Wisconsin-Whitewater will play St. Thomas on Saturday (2:30 p.m.).
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