GORHAM, Maine – Seniors
Brogan Searle-Belanger (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) and
Jonathan Wilson (Granby, Conn.) each drove in four runs to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 15-8 win over the Saint Joseph's College (Maine) Monks in a non-conference baseball game Thursday afternoon at
Ed Flaherty Field.
Searle-Belanger was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate as Southern Maine pounded out 16 hits off of nine different Saint Joseph's pitchers. Wilson was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, including a three-run home run in the third.
THE BASICS:
Records:
Saint Joseph's College (8-11)
Southern Maine (6-12)
Today's game marked the 87th meeting between Southern Maine and St. Joseph's College (Maine). The Huskies lead the overall series 70-17 and are 7-3 in the last nine games. Southern Maine took the 2021 matchup 12-0 in Standish, and the Monks defeated USM 5-0 in 2021.
Score:
Saint Joseph's College (Maine) 8
Southern Maine 15
Pitching:
Winning Pitcher: SM,
Jack Bruno (1-1), 2.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 1 walks, 3 strikeouts.
Losing Pitcher: SJC, Kyle MacKay (1-2), 0.1 IP, 2 hits, 6 runs, 2 walks, 1 strikeout.
Save: NONE
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Southern Maine jumped on top of the Monks in the bottom of the first scoring seven runs. After the Huskies' first two batters reached safely via hit-by-pitch and a walk, freshman Kyle Douin (Augusta, Maine/Cony) drove in the first run of the game with a single through the right side. Wilson followed with his first hit of the game for an RBI double to right. A run walked in made it 3-0 and a single to left from senior Arlo Pike (Buxton, Maine/Bonny Eagle) put the Huskies up 4-0 before Searle-Belanger launched abases clearing double to the gap in left center for the 7-0 lead.
- After a scoreless second, SJC took a run back in the top of the third on a throwing error. Jared Wilhelm and Jack Moltenbrey led off the inning for the Monks with back-to-back singles to create the scoring chance.
- The Huskies answered back in the bottom of the third, however, scoring eight runs to blow the game open and lead 15-1. USM collected eight hits in the inning, including Wilson's three-run homer, an RBI double from Christian Siciliano (Shrewsbury, Mass./St. John's), and an RBI single from Douin and junior Janek Luksza (South Paris, Maine/Oxford Hills). Searle-Belanger and Siciliano each had two hits in the inning.
- SJC scored a run in the top of the fourth, and then scored three runs each in the seventh and eighth. Jordan Valentino had a two-run double in the seventh for the Monks. In the eighth, Valentino added a two RBI single to right center.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Southern Maine has collected at least 15 hits in its last two games. Today's 16-hit performance is a season best. Four of the Huskies' 15 hits were for extra bases.
UP NEXT:
Southern Maine returns to Little East Conference action on Saturday (12:00 pm) hosting Western Connecticut in a doubleheader. The Huskies are 2-2 in the LEC, earning a sweep of the Corsairs last weekend. USM then hosts Colby College on Wednesday, April 12 in a non-conference single game as part of Athletics' Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day.
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