Huskies Eliminated, Wait till Monday on Possible NCAA At-Large Berth

            BOSTON -- The top-seeded University of Massachusetts Boston Beacons built an early 5-0 lead, and then hung on over the final three innings to defeat the second-seeded University of Southern Maine Huskies 5-3 in an elimination game of the Little East Conference Championship Tournament Thursday afternoon at Monan Field.

            The loss eliminates the Huskies, the defending champions, from the tournament after two straight losses.  USM lost its opener to Eastern Connecticut State University 13-6 on Wednesday.  The Huskies, 29-13 overall, now must wait until Monday morning to hear if they receive an at-large berth to the NCAA national championship tournament that begins next week.

            UMass Boston, now 27-13 overall including three wins over USM, survives to play Friday.  Pairings for Friday's game will be determined after Thursday's two other games have been played and will depend on whether four or five teams are still alive.

            Junior Dan Mantoni (Northbridge, Mass./Hopedale) was the man of the hour for the Beacons going 3 for 3 at the plate with two runs scored and one RBI, and hurling seven innings on the hill allowing one run on six hits and four walks while striking out seven.

            Junior Dave Murphy (Plymouth, Mass./Massasoit CC) hit a two-run homer to highlight the Beacons' three-run inning.  The home run was the third this season for Murphy against the Huskies.

            UMB scored twice in the fifth on a pair of bases loaded walks to rookie Ryan Olivo (Rochester, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima) and junior Anthony Searles (Shelton, Conn./Notre Dame Catholic) to push their lead up to 5-0.

            Southern Maine outhit UMB 11-6 in the game, but left 11 base runners stranded.  Seniors Sam Dexter (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) and Jake Glauser (Goffstown, N.H.) and junior Paul McDonough (Wells, Maine) had two hits apiece for the Huskies.  Dexter had the Huskies lone extra-base hit, a double down the left field line in the eighth inning.

            The Beacons took a 1-0 lead in the third when Mantoni singled through the left side of the infield to drive home sophomore Sal Frosceno (Derby, Conn.).  Murphy followed with a drive over the left-field wall for his seventh round tripper of the season.

            In the fifth, the Beacons loaded the bases with one out against USM rookie starter Dalton Rice (Waterford, Maine/Oxford Hills) on a hit batsman, a Mantoni single and a walk to Murphy.  Senior Ryan Browner (Georgetown, Mass.) came on in relief and walked Olivo and Searles to force home two runs.  The Huskies summoned senior left-hander Dan Kinnon (Londonderry, N.H.) who got an inning-ending double play to prevent further damage.  Kinnon would pitch 3 2/3 scoreless innings to keep the Huskies in the game.

            Scoreless through the first six innings, the Huskies finally nicked Mantoni for a run in the seventh.  McDonough came home from second on a single to right field by sophomore Nick Bowie (South Paris, Maine/Oxford Hills).

            Dexter led off the eighth with his double off rookie left-hander Manny Garcia (Boston, Mass./Madison Park), and scored on Glauser's single to left field to cut the UMB lead to 5-2.

            In the ninth, the Huskies were down to their final out when the Beacons committed an infield error on senior Nick DiBiase's (Portland, Maine/Deering) ground ball to prolong the inning.  Dexter followed with a single through the right side to score sophomore pinch runner Nick Volger (Portland, Maine), and sophomore Sam Stauble (Harrison, Maine/Bridgton Academy) walked to load the bases.

            Freshman JT Morin (Wilton, Conn.) was brought on for the Beacons and got a fielder's choice ground ball out to save the win for Mantoni and Beacons. 

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