BOSTON -- The University of Southern Maine Huskies scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning to defeat the University of Massachusetts Boston Beacons 7-5 in a Little East Conference baseball game Tuesday afternoon at Monan Park.
            The win was the second straight for the Huskies, and improved their record to 12-6 overall and 4-3 in Little East play.  The game was the season opener for the Beacons.
            USM took advantage of two UMB errors and a wild pitch in the ninth to score twice.  With one out, senior Andrew Olszak (Danvers, Mass.) reached on an infield error, and advanced to second on a single through the right side from freshman Cam Seymour (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy).
            After both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch, senior Andrew Hillier (Bangor, Maine) received an intentional walk to load the bases.  The Beacons tried to turn an inning-ending double play on sophomore Jonathan Wilson's (East Granby, Conn.) ground ball to shortstop, but the relay to first pulled the first baseman off the bag allowing Olszak to score.  Seymour would score on a wild pickoff throw to first.
            Freshman Bryce Afthim (Windham, Maine) surrendered a leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth, but retired the next three batters, two on strikeouts, to earn his fourth win of the season.  Afthim went 4.1 scoreless innings in relief of junior starter Joshua Joy (Smithfield, Maine/Messalonskee), allowing four hits and two walks while fanning four.
            Southern Maine built a 5-0 lead over the first three frames.  Olszak plated junior Sam Troiano (South Portland, Maine) with a sacrifice fly after Troiano led off the game with a triple.  Junior Jason Komulainen (Gorham, Maine) had a sacrifice fly, and Olszak had an RBI single in the second.  The Huskies picked up two more in the third on sophomore Tom Vesosky's (Colchester, Vt.) single up the middle and Komulainen's squeeze bunt.
            UMass Boston sent 10 men to the plate in the fifth to score five times.  The Beacons had six hits and received a walk against Joy and Afthim.  Senior Nick Palma's (Peabody, Mass.) single off Afthim brought in the tying run.  Afthim escaped any further trouble getting a strikeout to end the inning.
            Olszak, Hillier and Vesosky led the Huskies 10-hit attack with two hits apiece.  Senior Curtis Tirone (Waltham, Mass.) and sophomore Gianni Zarrilli (South Glastonbury, Conn.) had three hits apiece for the Beacons.
            Sophomore Ethan Errera (Newington, Conn.), the last of five UMB pitchers used in the game, took the loss.
            Southern Maine is scheduled to host Keene State College for an LEC doubleheader on Friday.  No spectators are allowed.  UMass Boston is scheduled to travel to Western Connecticut State University tomorrow for a single LEC contest.