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Janek Luksza
Cullen McIntyre
1
Colby COLBY 17-11
2
Winner Southern Me. SOUTHERN 16-16
Colby COLBY
17-11
1
Final
2
Southern Me. SOUTHERN
16-16
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 R H E
Colby COLBY 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 13 2
Southern Me. SOUTHERN 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 9 2

W: Francis, Lucas (1-0) L: E. Hillenber (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Huskies Outlast Colby 2-1 in 18 Innings

GORHAM, Maine  – Sophomore Lucas Francis (Lisbon, Maine) threw 8.2 innings of scoreless relief and classmate Janek Luksza (South Paris, Maine/Oxford Hills) hit a walk-off RBI double to the gap in right field in the bottom of the 18th inning to lift the University of Southern Maine Huskies to an 18-inning 2-1 win over the Colby College Mules in a non-conference baseball game Tuesday night at Ed Flaherty Field. 
 
The 18-inning game is the longest game in Southern Maine baseball history.  The previous longest game was 15 innings against R.I.T. on March 23, 2016. The Mules used nine pitchers in the contest, while the Huskies used three over the 18 innings.
 
THE BASICS:
Records:
Colby (17-11)
Southern Maine (16-16)
 
Score: 
Southern Maine 2 Colby 1 – 18 innings
 
Pitching: USM Colby
Winning Pitcher: SM, Lucas Francis (1-0), 8.2 IP, 0 runs, 8 his, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts
Losing Pitcher:  Colby, Ethan Hillenberg (0-1), 0.1 IP, 1 run, 2 hits, 1 waks, 0 strikeouts
Save: None
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: USM 2 Colby 1
  • After a scoreless three and a half innings, USM snagged a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single up the middle from junior Jonathan Wilson (East Granby, Conn.). 
  • Colby answered right back in the top of the fifth tying the score up at 1-1 after a two-out solo home run to left field from Brady O'Brien evened the score.
  • After the fifth the score remained unchanged until the bottom of 18 as both teams combined to leave 35 runners left on base. Colby left 20 runners on, while USM left 15.
  • Husky starter freshman Clay Robbins (Auburn, Maine/Edward Little) pitched well in a no-decision, going 7.0 innings, allowing one earned run on five hits and two walks while striking out nine.  Francis and sophomore Cam Seymour (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) combined for the next 11 innings of relief.
  • Colby had the bases loaded in the top of the 18th with singles from Noah Reichman and Genki LeClair, but Francis was able to get the final out with the aid of a fantastic running catch from junior tom Vesosky (Colchester, Vermont) in centerfield.
  • In the bottom of the inning, Wilson drew a walk off of Colby's ninth pitcher of the game Ethan Hillenberg, and senior Brogan Searle-Belanger (Saco, Maine/thornton Academy) singled to make it runners on first and second. After infield pop-up, Luksza followed, lacing a double to score Wilson and end the game.  
 
UP NEXT:
Southern Maine travels to Bates College on Wednesday (3:30 pm) for its third consecutive non-conference game. the Huskies return to Ed Flaherty Field on Saturday (12:00 pm) for a Little East Conference doubleheader with Keene State.  Southern Maine will honor its 1997 National Championship team and former Husky great Mike McCullom for their induction into the Little East Conference Hall of Fame in-between game one and two.
 
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