BRUNSWICK, Maine   - Junior Carter Higgins (Truro, Nova Scotia) hit a grand slam in the top of the fourth to highlight a 12-hit attack as the University of Southern Maine Huskies defeated the Bowdon College Polar Bears 12-1 (7 Innings) Thursday evening at Pickard Baseball Diamond.
 
Higgins' grand slam marked the fifth of the season for the Huskies, and the fourth individual player. Higgins joins sophomore Caleb Vachianno (Cornish, Maine/Sacopee Valley) vs. Bates (April 13), junior Mike Anquillare (North Haven, Conn.) vs. UMaine Farmington (April 2), and junior Evan Baschnagel (Garden City, NY/Chaminade) vs. Rhode Island College (March 28) and vs. UMass Dartmouth (March 21) with grand slams this season.
 
Junior Colin McDonald earned his seventh win of the season (7-0) firing six innings and allowing just two hits and a walk for one unearned run. He struck out four.
 
Records:
Southern Maine (20-6)           112 421 1   12-12-1
Bowdoin College (11-14)        000 001 0     1-3-4
 
Pitching Records:
WP: SM, Colin McDonald (7-0), 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 Ks
LP:  BC, Aidan Aybar (7-4), 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 Ks
 
How It Happened:

• Vacchiano gave Southern Maine a 1-0 lead in the first with an RBI single, and McDonald sat the Polar Bears in order to set the tone early for the Huskies.
• Three singles in the second, including an RBI single from junior Quinn Dillon (Gorham, Maine) doubles the Huskies lead, and McDonald worked around a one-out walk in the bottom of the inning inducing a double play.
• A pair of Bowdoin fielding errors in the third allowed Southern Maine to double its lead again, 4-0, as sophomore Drew Scialdone (Amesbury, Mass.) and Higgins each scored for USM.  Higgins reached after being hit-by-a-pitch, and Scialdone drew a two-out walk to keep the inning alive.  McDonald allowed a lead-off runner to start the third, but came back with a pair of looking strikeouts before getting a line out to right to end the inning.
• Southern Maine blew the game open in the fourth.  Baschnagel reached on an error, while senior Kyle Douin (Augusta, Maine/Cony) and junior Peter Keblinsky (Ellsworth, Maine) followed with a single and a walk, respectively, to load the bases. After a strikeout to keep the Huskies off the scoreboard but still full on the bases, Higgins sent a shot over the left field fence for a grand slam and four runs.  The home run marked Higgins' fourth of the season, and second in the last three games.
• Douin made it 10-0 in the fifth with a two-run single to center, driving in Dillon and Anquillare.  Anquillare reached on a Bowdoin error, and Dillon collected a single.
• Holding the Bowdoin bats hitless through the first 4.1 innings of work, McDonald surrendered a one-out single to Conor Moriarty, but did not allow him to advance to second before retiring the side.
• USM led 11-0 after the sixth as Anquillare had an RBI ground out.  Anquillare drove in Higgins who reached after being hit by a pitch before stealing second and third to put himself in scoring position.
• Bowdoin broke up the shut-out bid in the sixth as Henry Bibeau connected on a one-out double down the left field line and then scored on an RBI ground out from Wim Nook.  McDonald closed the inning with his third looking strikeout of the game.
• Douin scored USM's final run in the eighth, hitting a one-out double to right and advancing to third on a ground out from Keblinsky. Douin scored on a passed ball before the inning ended with a 12-1 Husky lead.
• Southern Maine freshman Kason Lewis (South Portland, Maine) pitched the final inning, getting a strikeout to end the game, 12-1 in seven innings.

 
Up Next:
 Southern Maine hosts MIT on Saturday (1:00 pm) in a non-conference game before returning to Little East Conference play at Plymouth State on Tuesday (3:30 pm).
 
 
 
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