PROVIDENCE, RI   –  Sophomore Colin McDonald struck out seven in six strong innings in a game-one win, and the University of Southern Maine Huskies scored nine runs over the final three innings of game two, including four in the top of the ninth, to earn a sweep of the Rhode Island College Anchormen in a Little East Conference baseball doubleheader Saturday at Pontarelli Field.
 
With the pair of wins, Southern Maine starts its Little East Conference schedule at 2-0.  The Huskies combined for 25 runs and 22 hits over the two games, defeating RIC 12-2 in the opener, and then 13-12 in a slug-fest in game two. Ten of the Huskies' 22 hits in the doubleheader were for extra bases including eight doubles.
 
Junior Chris Quigley had a three-run home run in game one to finish the contest 1-for-2 at the plate with four RBI, a walk and a run scored.  In game two, Quigley earned his first career save, working around a pair of hits and a walk for a scoreless ninth, getting the final batter on a strikeout with the bases loaded.  Senior Anthony Poole (South Portland, Maine) was solid offensively in both games going 5-for-12 with four RBI, three runs scored, three doubles and four putouts in the outfield.
 
Records:
GM 1 – Southern Maine 12, Rhode Island College 2
Southern Maine (3-8, 1-0 LEC)                                                          002  200  320  5   12-10-3 
Rhode Island College (6-6, 0-1 LEC)                                                  000  001  100  0    2-7-1
 
Pitching Records:
WP: SM, Colin McDonald (1-1), 6.0 IP; 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
LP:  RIC, Terry Murray (1-1), 6.0 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 HR
 
 
GM 2 – Southern Maine
Southern Maine (4-8, 2-0 LEC)                                                          000  400  324    13-12-3    
Rhode Island College (6-7, 0-2 LEC)                                                  001  124  130    12-15-4
 
Pitching Records:
WP: SM, Jack Bruno (1-0), 2.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
LP:  Liam Dailey (0-2), 1.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
SV: Chris Quigley (Sv, 1), 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
 
 
 
 
How It Happened – Game One: Southern Maine 12, Rhode Island College 2

• McDonald struck out seven in six innings of work, allowing six hits, two walks and just one earned run to pick up his first win of the season. The Huskies pounded out 10 hits against RIC, including six for extra bases to start the conference at 1-0.
• Scoreless through the first two innings, with McDonald fanning four of nine batters faced, Southern Maine jumped to a 2-0 led in the top of the third.  Senior Anthony Poole (South Portland, Maine) collected the Huskies' first hit of the game with an RBI double to right for the first run, and junior Peter Keblinsky's (Ellsworth, Maine) fielder's choice brought Poole home for the second.
• McDonald remained in control of the RIC bats retiring the next eight batters consecutively before giving up a two-out walk in the bottom of the fifth to Jeren Pimental.  The Huskies exited the inning erasing Pimental who was caught stealing by Husky catcher junior Dylan Firmin (Stratham, NH/Exeter).
• A three-run home run from junior Chris Quigley (Halifax, Mass./Silver Lake Regional) inflated the Huskies lead to 5-0 with a three-run, two-out home run to left.  RIC's Terry Murry got the first two outs with a ground out and a foul up before giving up a single to graduate student Sam Economy (Hampden, Maine/Hampden Academy).  After Firmin was hit by a pitch, moving Economy up to second, Quigley connected on his first home run of the season for three RBI. RIC came back for one run in the bottom of the sixth as Izaiah Rivera singled to left to score Parker Camelo who led off the inning with a single, also to left, to make it 5-1.
• In the top of the seventh, Keblinsky and sophomore Mike Anquillare (North Haven, Conn.) each had RBI doubles to push the Huskies lead to 7-1. RIC made it 7-2 in the home half of the inning, scoring on a two-out error.
• Following a quiet eighth inning, the Huskies put the game away in the top of the ninth scoring five runs on three hits, a walk, and two hit batters.  Junior Kyle Douin (Augusta, Maine/Cony) and Keblinsky led off with back-to-back doubles while Anquillare had a two-run single to center for a 9-2 Husky lead.  Quiqley and junior Hunter Brissette (Lisbon, Maine/Lisbon Falls) were hit by a pitch to each pick up an RBI, while Poole had a ground out RBI for the 12-2 score line.
• In the ninth, Keblinsky, who took over pitching in the bottom of the eighth, worked his way around an error to shut the door on the game with two fly outs and a line out.

 
How It Happened – Game Two: Southern Maine 13, Rhode Island College 12

• Trailing Southern Maine 5-2 after four innings, Rhode Island College took an 8-4 lead into the top of the seventh.  The Anchormen scored twice in the bottom of the fifth tying the game up on a two-run home run from Justin Wardwell, and then surged ahead with a four-run bottom of the sixth.  Izaiah Rivera led off the sixth with a solo shot home run over the right field fence to give RIC the lead.  Parker Camelo had a two-run double in the inning and the Anchormen scored their final run of the sixth on a wild pitch.
• USM used two hits, a walk and an RIC fielding error in the top the seventh to score three times and cut its deficit to one run, 8-7.  Junior Kyle Douin (Augusta, Maine/Cony) reached safely with a lead-off single, and scored on a misplayed ball.  Senior Jack LeBlond made it 8-7 with a sacrifice fly to left.
• RIC extended its lead to two runs in the home half of the seventh as Rivera, who hit for the cycle in the contest, started the inning with a triple to the gap in center, and then crosse home plate on an RBI ground out from S Gallagher.
• Keblinsky tied the game up in the top of the eighth with a two-run home run over the fence in centerfield.  Keblinsky drove in Douin who reached on an Anchormen infield error to start the inning.  Keblinsky's home run is his second of the season for Southern Maine.  He has a team-leading 11 RBI this season.
• The Anchormen put together another big inning in the bottom of the eighth, scoring three runs to take a 12-9 lead.  Camelo doubled to the gap in right to start off for RIC, and moved up to third on a fly out.  RIC earned runners on first and third with a fielder's choice play, and Lucas Pierce, who was 0-for-4 before his final at bat, drove in three runs with a home run to center field for his first hit of the game. 
• Down by three and with one out against them, the Huskies started with a walk from Brissette, and a double from Poole to get runners in scoring position at second and third.  Douin made it a one-run game with a two-run single to right as Poole and Brissette flashed speed on the bases.  Southern Maine remained alive and had runners at first and third on a fielder's choice play, before a throwing error on a ball put into play from senior Lucas Francis (Lisbon, Maine) scored Douin for a tie game, 12-12.  After LeBlond was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Firmin drew a walk and earned an RBI for the go-ahead run, 13-12.
• Clinging to a one-run lead, Quigley entered in relief and got the first RIC batter swinging before yielding back-to-back singles. Quigley bounced back to get the second out with a fly out to left on a solid catch from Anquillare, but loaded the bases on the next play with a walk.  With the bases loaded and two down, Quigley got the final RIC batter on strikes to earn the save, and give USM the win.

 
 
Up Next:
Southern Maine remains on the road for its next two contests and will face Bowdoin College on Tuesday (6:00 pm) and then head to Endicott on Wednesday (3:30 pm). The Huskies are scheduled to host their first home games of the season on Saturday, March 29 (12:00 pm) in a Little East Conference doubleheader against UMass Dartmouth
 
 
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