NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass.   –  After an overpowering 15-1 (8 inning) win in game one, the University of Southern Maine Huskies rallied from a three-run deficit in game two to earn a 7-5 win and sweep the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs in a Little East Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at the UMD Baseball Field.
 
Improving to 8-3 on the season, Southern Maine starts its Little East Conference season at 2-0.  UMass Dartmouth falls to 6-13 and 0-2 in the Little East with the pair of losses. 
 
Junior Colin McDonald (Gorham, Maine) was outstanding in game one, scattering five hits over seven innings to earn his third win of the season.  McDonald struck out a season-high nine in the win and did not allow a walk. In game two, Husky pitchers combined for eight strikeouts.  Junior Carson Black (Porter, Maine/Sacopee Valley) earned the win allowing three earned runs on nine hits and two walks in 6.0 innings of strong work. He had three of the Huskies' eight strikeouts.  Junior Gabe Gifford (Bradley, Maine/Old Town) pitched a scoreless and hitless seventh and eighth inning with one walk and four strikeouts, while junior Peter Keblinsky (Ellsworth, Maine) earned the save giving up one run on two hits while striking out one.
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Records:
GM 1 – Southern Maine 15, UMass Dartmouth 1 – 8 innings
Southern Maine                         103 243 20           15-15-0
UMass Dartmouth                     001 000 00             1-5-3
 
GM 2 – Southern Maine 7, UMass Dartmouth 5
Southern Maine                         100 012 300           7-5-2 
UMass Dartmouth                     040 000 001           5-11-2
 
 
Pitching Records:
GM 1
WP: SM, Colin McDonald (3-0), 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 Ks
LP:  AJ Rouke (0-2), 4.1 IP, 9 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 4 BB, 5 Ks, 1 HR
 
GM 2
WP:  SM, Carson Black (1-0),  6.0 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3Ks
LP:  Aidan O'Donnell (0-1), 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
SV: SM, Peter Keblinksy (Sv, 1), 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
 
Game One Recap – USM 15, UMass Dartmouth 1

• The Huskies scored 15 runs on 15 hits en route to the lopsided game one victory.  Junior Evan Baschnagel (Garden City, NY/Chaminade) was 2-for-3 at the plate, including a home run, for four RBI and three runs scored.  Including Baschnagel, four Huskies were repeat hitters.  Sophomores Drew Scialdone (Porter, Maine/Sacopee Valley) and Caleb Vacchiano (Cornish, Maine/Sacopee Valley) and junior Peter Keblinsky (Ellsworth, Maine) each had two hits..  Scialdone had three RBI, while Keblinsky and Vacchiano each had one.
• Vacchiano put USM up early in the top of the first with an RBI single to right. Keblinksy scored the run drawing a two-out walk and then stealing second to put himself in scoring position for Vacchiano's base hit.
• Up 1-0, McDonald settled in after giving up a lead-off single to retire the next three batters consecutively. In the second, McDonald did the same after allowing a one-out single, sitting the next two Corsairs down on back-to-back strikeouts.
• Southern Maine extended its lead to 4-0 with a three-run top of the third, highlighted by a two-run single to center from Scialdone. In the home half of the inning, the Corsairs manufactured their lone run of the contest as Jayden Cruz picked up a one-out single to left before Brett Baker doubled down the left field line with two outs for an RBI.
• The Huskies answered back with two more runs in the top of the fourth to lead 6-1 on RBIs from senior Kyle Douin (Augusta, Maine/Cony) and Keblinksy, and McDonald took over picking up five of his nine strikeouts over the next few innings as USM's offense continued to roll. 
• Up 6-1 headed into the top of the fifth Baschnagel launched a grand slam to balloon the Huskies' lead to 10-1.  The Huskies loaded the bases on a walk to junior Quinn Dillon (Gorham, Maine), a hit-by-pitch to senior Dylan Firmin (Stratham, NH) and an infield single by junior Carter Higgins (Truro, Nova Scotia) to set the table for Baschnagel's team-leading fifth home run of the season.
• McDonald effectively shut the door on the game striking out the side in the home half of the fifth, and retiring the side in order in the sixth as Southern Maine tacked on three more runs in the sixth and another two in the seventh to lead 15-1.  In the sixth, Scialdone and junior Mike Anquillare (North Haven, Conn.) each had RBI singles.  In the seventh, senior Chris Quigley (Halifax, Mass./Silver Lake Regional) had a two-run home run.
• In the seventh, McDonald retired the Corsairs in order again to make it nine consecutive outs for the final.

 
Game Two Recap – Southern Maine 7, UMass Dartmouth 5

• After taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a Keblinsky RBI single, the Huskies found themselves trailing the Corsairs 4-1 after the bottom of the second. The Corsairs were able to take the lead in the second using four hits, a walk, a balk and a wild pitch.
• Sam Bradford led off the UMD second with a single to the gap in right and moved up to third base on a balk and a wild pitch.  Black got the next two outs on back-to-back infield pop ups before UMD's Ryan Jones singled through the right side to tie the game up at 1-1.  Cruz walked on the next at-bat putting Corsairs on first and second before Cooper Wixon had an RBI single to score Jones as Cruz move to third for a 2-1 Corsair advantage.  UMD took its 4-1 lead on a two-run single to left from Brett Baker before Black ended the inning with a strikeout.
• Both teams were quiet in the third and fourth innings.  Black worked his way back from a two-out double in the third with an inning ending strikeout and in the fourth after another two-out double Black got a ground out.
• Southern Maine pulled one run back in the top of the fifth to trail 4-2. Freshman Kaiden Morin (Brewer, Maine) led off the inning with a double and then moved to third on a passed ball before Higgins earned an RBI with a ground out to short. Black retired the Corsairs in order in home half of the fifth on back-to-back ground outs before a fly out to right.
• Southern Maine tied the game up in the sixth. With two outs, Anquillare started the rally with a single up the middle before Morin walked. Higgins followed with an RBI single to left scoring Anquillare while Morin scored on the throw attempt. In the bottom of the sixth, the Huskies defense kept the game tied, earning an inning-ending double play as the Corsairs had two-on with one out.  Dillon snagged a line-drive at third base and combined with Douin for the double-play.
• The Huskies took the lead in the top of the seventh.  Douin, Keblinsky and Scialdone loaded the bases with a double, a walk and a hit-by-pitch respectively with one out.  USM went up 5-4 on an unearned run on a fielder's choice throw that went awry.  Anquillare and Morin each had RBI walks to make it a 7-4 win.
• Gifford entered the game for Black to start the seventh. After giving up a lead-off walk, Gifford retired the next six batters in order.
• After USM went quietly in the ninth, Keblinsky closed the game. After getting a strikeout to start the inning, Cruz and Wixon had back-to-back singles before Baker had a ground out RBI to make it 7-5.  Keblinsky ended the game with a ground out to third for the final.

Up Next:
Southern Maine remains on the road for its next two contests and will face Bowdoin College on Tuesday (6:00 pm) in Brunswick, Maine.  The Huskies then travel to RV Endicott on Wednesday (3:30 pm). Southern Maine is slated for its home opener on Saturday, March 28 (12:00 pm) hosting Rhode Island College.  
 
 
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