Box Score Endicott Nips Southern Maine 6-5
GORHAM, Maine -- Junior Mike Kochiss (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe) delivered a two-run double with two outs in the top of the ninth inning to give the visiting Endicott College Gulls a 6-5 victory over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in a non-conference game Wednesday afternoon at the USM Baseball Stadium.
The win was the third straight, and sixth in the last seven games, for the Gulls who improved their record to 19-9 overall. The 16th-ranked Huskies dropped their second straight game to fall to 18-8 overall.
It was déjà vu for the Huskies who dropped a 4-3 decision to the Gulls on March 30. Down to their final out, the Gulls got a single from sophomore Michael DeDonato (Chelmsford, Mass.) and walk to senior Anthony Serina (Portsmouth, R.I.) to set the stage for Kochiss. Kochiss greeted USM rookie reliever Jake Dexter (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) with a deep drive to right field to bring DeDonato and Serina across the plate to give the Gulls the lead.
Senior Davarn Nova (Buzzards Bay, Mass./Coyle Cassidy), the last of eight Endicott pitchers used in the game, retired the Huskies in order in the bottom of the ninth to earn his fifth win of the season against three losses.
Endicott grabbed a 2-0 lead in its first turn at bat on an RBI single by Kochiss and when senior Matthew Paola (Middlebury, Conn./Pomperauq) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
The Huskies got one run back in their turn as junior Paul McDonough (Wells, Maine) led off with a double and later scored on sophomore Sam Stauble's (Harrison, Maine/Bridgton Academy) fielder's choice.
Southern Maine grabbed the lead in the second with two unearned runs. Senior Nick DiBiase (Portland, Maine/Deering) reached on an error and scored on a single by sophomore Nick Bowie (South Paris, Maine/Oxford Hills). Sophomore Kyle Heath (Westbrook, Maine), who singled, scored the Huskies' second run when senior Sam Dexter (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) walked with the bases loaded.
Kochiss tied the game in the fifth inning with an RBI single to bring DeDonato home. DeDonato led off the inning with a double and stole third before Kochiss base hit.
Sam Dexter scored the go ahead run for the Huskies in the seventh coming home on senior Jake Glauser's (Goffstown, N.H.) fielder's choice. Dexter led off the inning with a double and moved to third on a single by Stauble before Glauser's ground ball was thrown away trying to get Stauble at second base.
Endicott came back in the eighth to tie the game when rookie Matt Bald (De Pere, Wis./West De Pere), pinch running for freshman Chris Seidl (Dracut, Mass.) who singled, scored on an RBI ground out by Paolo.
Again the Huskies regained the lead in their half of the inning. McDonough and sophomore Brandon Martins (Manorville, N.Y.) singled with two outs, and Sam Dexter was intentionally walked to load the bases. Nova uncorked a wild pitch that brought McDonough home to make it 5-4 heading to the ninth.
Kochiss led the Gulls' offense going 3 for 5 with four RBI. DeDonato had three hits and scored two runs. Sophomore Nick Berno (St. Albans, Vt./Bellows Free Academy) had a pair of singles and scored the Gulls first run.
Martins, McDonough and Sam Dexter combined for seven of the Huskies 10 hits. Martins was 3 for 4 with a walk while McDonough and Dexter each had a double and a single. Freshman left-hander Matt Correale (Peabody, Mass.) was the tough-luck loser to the Gulls for the second time this season.
The Huskies will be back in action tomorrow (3:30 p.m.) hosting Babson College. The Gulls are off until Saturday (12:00 p.m.) when they travel to Nichols College for a Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader.
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