DAVENPORT, Fla. –  Mason Belmore fired a solid 7.2 innings, limiting the University of Southern Maine Huskies to two runs while striking out nine, as the Hope College Dutchmen defeated the Huskies 11-2 fifth game of the RussMatt Invitational Thursday evening. The win is the fourth consecutive for Hope.
 
Series History:
Today's game marked the third meeting between the University of Southern Maine Huskies and the Hope College Dutchmen, but the first since 2002.  Southern Maine had won the previous two meeting 6-4 (March 22, 2002) and 5-4 (March 24, 1999). USM leads the series 2-1.
 
Records:
Southern Maine (1-8)           
Hope College (5-7)
 
Pitching Records:
WP: Mason Belmore (2-1), 7.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 9 Ks
LP:  Owen Sullivan (0-1), 4.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7Ks
 
 
How It Happened:

• Hope struck first taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Devin Meeuwsen led off the inning with a solo home run for the Dutchmen.  Hope earned two more baserunners with back-to-back one out singles, but Husky starter Owen Sullivan was able to bounce back and get the next two batters on a strikeout and a flyout.
• Southern Maine remained behind Hope before leaping ahead in the bottom of the fourth.  Senior Cam Seymour (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) led off the inning with a double, and came around to score on a two-run home run from senior Jack Leblond (Lewiston, Maine/Bridgton Academy) for a 2-1 Husky lead. LeBlond's first home run of 2024 marked his fourth extra base hit of the season.
• The Dutchmen answered right back however in the top of the fifth to secure the lead for good with two runs on three hits.  Robbie Stuursma and Owen Krizan led off the inning with back-to-back singles chasing Sullivan out of the game. With two runners on and no outs, Hope's Logan McCoy drilled a two-run double off of Husky reliever Matt Burnett (Ellsworth, Maine). After the McCoy double, Burnett settled to end the inning but USM trailed 3-2.
• Krizan added an RBI single to up the Hope lead to 4-2 and the score remained unchanged until the top of the ninth when Hope rattled off seven runs to close the door on the game.  The Dutchmen collected five hits in the ninth, and tagged Husky reliever sophomore Jack Bruno (Upton, Mass.), who entered the game in the top of the eighth, for all seven runs highlighted by a two-run triple from Stuursma. 

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Up Next:
Southern Maine remains in Auburndale, Florida for its next two games. The Huskies face Fitchburg State on Friday (3:15 pm), and then face Rowan on Saturday (9:30 am) concluding its RussMatt Invitational schedule.  The Huskies return north and are scheduled to play at MIT on Wednesday, March 20 (3:00 pm).