Box Score Quintal Drives In Four; Lawrence Gets Win
BEVERLY, Mass. -- Junior Zach Quintal (Eliot, Maine/Marshwood) drove in four runs to help the visiting University of Southern Maine Huskies defeat the 23rd-ranked Endicott College Gulls, 8-3, in a non-conference game Wednesday afternoon at North Field.
The win was the third straight, and fourth in the last five games, for the Huskies and improved their overall record to 7-5. The Gulls, ranked 23rd in this week's ABCA (American Baseball Coaches Association) Division III poll, had their five-game winning streak snapped by the loss and slip to 8-2 overall. The two teams will meet again at USM on April 18.
Quintal went 2 for 4 with a sacrifice fly to key the Huskies' nine-hit attack. He had a first-inning RBI single, a sacrifice fly in the third inning to give the Huskies the lead for good, and a two-run double in the ninth inning to add a pair of insurance runs.
Sophomore Andrew Hillier (Bangor, Maine) and junior Jake Dexter (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) also had a pair of hits for USM. Hillier had a key RBI triple in the fifth and scored runs in the seventh and ninth innings.
Sophomore Colton Lawrence (Farmington, Maine/Mt. Blue) picked up his first win of the season with a stellar four-inning relief stint. Lawrence took over from junior starter Ryan Gaydou (Dartmouth, Mass.) in the fourth inning to throw four shutout innings. Lawrence allowed two hits and did not walk a batter. He struck out one.
Senior Michael DeDonato (Chelmsford, Mass.) was the lone Endicott hitter with a pair of hits, including a two-run double in the bottom of the ninth. Senior Hunter Boyce (Bangor, Maine) drove in the Gulls' first run with a single in the second inning.
Senior southpaw Will Ferreira (Nantucket, Mass.) suffered his first loss on the hill. Ferreira gave up three runs (one earned) on five hits. Ferreira was hurt by a pair of infield errors that resulted in two unearned runs.
Quintal gave USM a 1-0 lead in the first with a two-out single to drive in junior Devin Warren (Smithfield, Maine/Messalonskee). Warren reached on a fielder's choice and stole second before Quintal's base hit.
Endicott tied the game in the second when Boyce singled to bring home senior Brad Rebello (Bellingham, Mass.) with an unearned run.
USM took the lead for good in the third when rookie Sam Troiano (South Portland, Maine) reached on an infield error, moved up to second on a Hillier single, and third on a fielder's choice. Quintal lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to score Troiano with the go-ahead run.
The Huskies added single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to increase their lead to 5-1. Hillier drove in the run in the fifth with a triple. Sophomore Andrew Olszak (Danvers, Mass.) led off the sixth with a double and later scored on a double play. Hillier scored in the seventh on a wild pitch.
Warren had an RBI single and Quintal followed with a two-run double in the Huskies' three-run ninth. DeDonato got two back for Endicott with a double in the home half of the ninth.
Southern Maine opens Little East Conference play this Saturday (12 p.m.) traveling to Rhode Island College for a doubleheader. Endicott hosts M.I.T. on Thursday (3:30 p.m.).
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