GORHAM, MAINE    –  Senior Joe Bova (Boston, Mass./The Winchendon School) launched a one-out home run over the fence in right field in the bottom of the eighth inning snapping a tie-game, and sophomore Mike Anquillare (North Haven, Conn.) knocked out two-out RBI single into right to propel the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 9-8 win over the Bates College Bobcats in a back-and-forth non-conference baseball game Tuesday evening at Flaherty Field.
 
Senior Lucas Francis (Lisbon, Maine/Lisbon Falls), who pitched two strong innings of relief in the sixth and seventh inning, earned the save re-entering in the top of the ninth with two runners on and no outs.  Giving up a fielder's choice bunt  to load the bases, Francis got a shallow fly ball to right for the first out.  Allowing a sacrifice fly RBI for out number two, Francis was able to get the final out of the game protecting a 9-8 lead for the save, and the Husky win.
 
Record:
Southern Maine 9, Bates 8
Bates (12-18)                            030 030 011    8-10-1
Southern Maine (17-17)             003 040 02x    9-11-4
 
Pitching Records:
WP: SM, Kyle Douin (1-0), 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
LP:  B, Charlie Cariello (1-3), 3.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
SV: SM, Lucas Francis (2), 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
 
 
 
How It Happened –Southern Maine 9, Bates 8

• Bates went ahead 3-0 in the top of the second.  Using a pair of lead off singles from Brandon Biggane and Max Dushney to start the rally, the Bobcats scored three unearned runs after a throwing error and three hit batters.
• The Huskies tied the game back in the bottom of the third. Sophmore Peter Keblinsky (Ellsworth, Maine) had a sacrifice fly RBI in the inning, while senior Jack LeBlond (Lewiston, Maine) drove in a run with a single up the middle.  The Huskies third run was scored on the same play following a throwing error.
• Bates led 6-3 in the top of the fifth with another three-run inning. The Bobcats scored all three runs on two outs. Ben Gesmondi drove in the first run with a double to left. Keagan Ryan and Jack Margiloff each had an RBI with a hit-by-pitch and walk respectively. 
• Down three, the Huskies reclaimed the lead with a four-run bottom of the fifth.  Junior Kyle Douin (Augusta, Maine/Cony) doubled in junior Hunter Brissette (Lisbon, Maine/Lisbon Falls) who led off the inning with a walk.  Anquillare made it a 6-5 game with a single down the left field line to score Douin, and Francis drew a bases loaded walk to tie the game up at 6-6.  Senior Connor Burgess (Halifax, Mass./Silver Lake Regional) put the Huskies in front with a sac-fly RBI to center field, scoring Anquillare.
• After a scoreless sixth and seventh innings from both sides, the Bobcats tied the game up in the eighth.  With Douin on the mound in relief of Francis to start the eighth, John Federico singled through the right side to start the inning, and moved up to third on a throwing error during a failed pick-off attempt.  With a runner in scoring position, David Swift tied the game up with a sacrifice fly to left for the run and RBI. Douin was able to get out of the inning with a pair of back-to-back fly balls to the outfield.
• With the lead erased, Bova crushed his first home run of the season to put the Huskies up 8-7 with one out.  After another out, Keblinsky doubled to the gap in left to put himself in scoring position and Anquillare came through with the RBI single to right for the insurance run.
• Bates took one run back in its final at-bat, but Francis entered with two on and no outs to keep the win alive for USM.

 
 
Up Next:
The Huskies then travel to Bates on Wednesday (3:00 pm), and close out their regular season at home with a Little East Conference doubleheader on Friday (12:00 pm) against WestConn
 
 
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