Hapworth Hits 23rd Career HR for the Huskies

            HARTFORD, Conn. -- Junior Alex Shafer (Baltimore, Md.) and senior Andrew DeRoche (North Reading, Mass.) combined for a six-hitter as the unbeaten Trinity College Bantams defeated the sixth-ranked University of Southern Maine Huskies 5-1 in a non-conference baseball game Sunday afternoon at Murren/DiBenedetto Field.

            The Bantams improved to 3-0 on the season by sweeping Lasell College and Southern Maine on Sunday.  The game was the season opener for the Huskies.

            Shafer went the first seven innings allowing the lone Huskies run in the fourth inning on a solo home run by senior Dylan Hapworth (Winslow, Maine).  Shafer gave up six hits and one walk while striking out six to pick up his first win of the season.  DeRoche came on to hurl two hitless innings while striking out four.

            USM senior right-hander Ben Lambert (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) took the loss.  Lambert was charged with five runs on eight hits and one walk over 3.1 innings.  The Huskies got an outstanding relief effort from junior Joshua Joy (Smithfield, Maine/Messalonskee) who allowed just one hit over the 4.2 shutout innings.

            Trinity nicked Lambert for three runs in the second inning bunching together four hits.  Rookie Patrick Dillon (Bronx, N.Y./Fordham Prep) drove in two with a double, and sophomore Colin Mann (Dedham, Mass./Dexter School) brought Dillon home when he followed with another double.

            Senior Alex Rodriquez (South Windsor, Conn.) plated a run for Trinity in the third with a triple.

            Hapworth led off the fourth with his 23rd career home run for the Huskies' lone run.  Hapworth was the Huskies lone repeat hitter adding a leadoff single in the second inning.

            After Hapworth got USM on the board, Trinity loaded the bases against Lambert in the home half of the fourth. The Bantams scored their fifth run on a sacrifice fly from senior Mack Lauder (Chappaqua, N.Y./Horace Greeley) that ended Lambert's day.  Joy came on and got an inning-ending double play to keep the score at 5-1.

            Senior Matt Koperniak (Adams, Mass./Hoosac Valley) was the only Trinity batter with a pair of hits.

            Southern Maine heads south this week for an eight-game road trip to Lexington, S.C.  The Huskies open their trip on Friday (noon) with a game against Roger Williams University.

-ble-