DANBURY, Conn. -- Junior Tom Vesosky (Colchester, Vt.) hit his first career home run leading off the bottom of the ninth inning to give the University of Southern Maine Huskies a 7-6, come-from-behind victory over Western Connecticut State University in the nightcap of the teams Little East Conference doubleheader Saturday at Westside Field.
            WestConn, keyed by senior Jake Babon's (Southington, Conn.) seventh inning grand slam home run, held off the Huskies to take a 9-6 win in the opening game.
            The split leaves the Huskies at 11-6 overall and 3-3 in the Little East Conference.  WestConn is now 1-3 overall and in the conference.
 
Game One
            WestConn jumped on the Huskies for three unearned runs in the second inning, and never trailed.  Senior Moe Echevarri (Norwalk, Conn.) had a two-run single in the inning.  Southern Maine got one run back in the home half on a Vesosky fielder's choice.
            The teams traded a pair of runs in the sixth inning to make it 5-3.  Senior Logan Terry (Ellington, Conn.) drove in the WestConn runs with a double.  USM rookie Cam Seymour (Saco, Maine/Thornton, Maine) hit a two-run homer, his sixth of the season, to account for USM's two runs.
            WestConn loaded the bases in the seventh on a pair of walks bracketing a single from junior Max Gregory (Jewitt City, Conn./Griswold) before Babon cleared the bases with his home run to right field.
            The Huskies scored one in the seventh on a sacrifice fly from senior Andrew Hillier (Bangor, Maine), and two more in the ninth on a bases loaded walk to Hillier and Seymour's sacrifice fly.
            Southern Maine pounded out 15 hits in the game.  Junior Sam Troiano (South Portland, Maine), senior Andrew Olszak (Danvers, Mass.) and sophomore Jonathan Wilson (East Granby, Conn.) all had three hits.  Senior Ben Lambert (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) was tagged with his first loss of the season after going six innings.  Lambert allowed five runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out 10.
            WestConn made the most of its eight hits and four walks, bunching them into the second, sixth and seventh innings.  Echevarri, Gregory and Terry each had two hits.  Senior starting pitcher Mike Hendler (Purchase, N.Y./Harrison) got the win going 6.1 innings.  Junior Michael Kolf (Brookfield, Conn.) earned his first save of the season.
 
Game Two
            Down 6-4 heading into the home half of the eighth, the Huskies got consecutive singles from Olszak, Hillier, and Seymour, and a sacrifice fly from Wilson to tie the game at 6-6.
            After USM rookie hurler Bryce Afthim (Windham, Maine) set down WestConn in order in the top of the ninth, Vesosky stepped to the plate and knocked an offering from senior Kyle Brelling (Bethel, Conn.) over the left-center field fence to give the Huskies the win.
            The Huskies built a 3-0 lead over the first three frames as Troiano and junior Arlo Pike (Buxton, Maine/Bonny Eagle) hit solo home runs in the first and second innings, respectively, and Hillier had an RBI single in the third.
            WestConn took advantage of three hits, two hit batsmen, and two USM miscues in the fourth to plate five runs and a 5-3 lead.  The Huskies struck for one in the home half on a Wilson double, a wild pitch and an RBI double from rookie Donato Tocci (Portland, Maine).
            WestConn added a run in the sixth on a Terry triple and another Husky miscue to go up 6-4.
            Olszak and Hillier led the Huskies' 10-hit attack with hits apiece.  Pike had two RBI.  Afthim collected his third win of the season going five innings in relief.  He allowed an unearned run on two hits and two walks while fanning seven.
            Junior Zach Edwards (Seymour, Conn.) was the lone repeat hitter for WestConn.  Sophomore Joe Gambino (Stamford, Conn/AITE) had two RBI.  Brelling took the loss.
 
Up Next
            Southern Maine is scheduled to travel to the University of Massachusetts Boston for a single game on Tuesday.  WestConn is scheduled to host UMass Boston for a single game on Wednesday.