GORHAM, Maine – Senior Kyle Douin (Augusta, Maine) went 3-for-5 with a double and a two-run home run to help lead the No. 28 University of Southern Maine Huskies to an 8-3 win over the No. 3 Salve Regina University Seahawks on Thursday evening at Gorham's Ed Flaherty Field. The win is the first for the Huskies over the Seahawks since 2018. The Huskies got a good start from freshman Hayden Strout (Charleston, Maine) as the rookie allowed just three runs over six innings while striking out three to improve his record to 5-1 on the season.
 
Junior Mike Anquillare (North Haven, Conn.) also drove in a pair of runs with a sacrifice fly and a single up the middle to finish the day 2-for-4. Junior Quinn Dillon (Gorham, Maine) finished with two hits as well.
 
Records:
No. 3 Salve Regina (27-4)
No. 28 Southern Maine (23-7)
 
Pitching Records:
WP: SM, Hayden Strout (5-1), 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 3 Ks, 1 HR, 1 WP
LP:  SR, Liam Scholl (1-1), 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB
 
How It Happened:

• Strout struck out the leadoff hitter for the Seahawks and quickly retired the next two batters to start the game with the outs. The Huskies jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom half of the first after Douin hit a towering home run over the right field fence on the first pitch that he saw after junior Evan Baschnagel (Garden City, NY/Chaminade) reached on a throwing error by the third baseman. Junior Carter Higgins (Truro, Nova Scotia) also reached on a two-out single to left field and stole second before the inning came to an end.
• Brady Smolinski walked to start the top of the second before being put out at second base on a ball hit by Danny Rogers that the Huskies could not turn into a double play. Rogers then moved to third on a double to left field by Elliot Hamilton to put two runners in scoring position with one out. The Seahawks were able to plate both runners on back-to-back singles by Dylan Cimini and Grady Schopps to tie the game at 2-2.
• Douin led off the bottom of the third with a double down the right field line before advancing to third on a ground out by junior Peter Keblinsky (Ellsworth, Maine). Sophomore Caleb Vacchiano (Cornish, Maine/Sacopee Valley) then hit a chopper to third that scored Douin as he was able to slide in under the tag to beat the throw to the plate.
• Strout surrendered a one-out homer to Shane Williams that tied the game in the top of the fifth before a Vacchiano-to-Keblinsky-to-Douin double play ended the inning to limit the damage to just one run.
• The Huskies had the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the fifth thanks to back-to-back singles by Douin and Keblinsky and a walk by Vacchiano. Salve Regina was able to get one out on a force play at the plate before sophomore Drew Scialdone (Amesbury, Mass.) scored Keblinsky with a rip up the middle to give the Huskies a 4-3 lead. Anquillare then pushed the lead to 5-3 with a sacrifice fly to center that scored Vacchiano.
• Strout worked a jam in the top of the sixth following a leadoff walk, an error and a sacrifice bunt that put two runners in scoring position with one out. He then got the next batter to strike out looking before walking a man to load the bases. With two outs and the go-ahead run at first, Strout was able to get Williams to ground out to second to end the threat.
• Senior Chris Quigley (Halifax, Mass.) entered in the top of seventh and struck out the first two batters he faced before allowing a single. He then got the next batter to pop up to third to end the inning.
• The Huskies added another run in the bottom of the seventh on a single to center field by Dillon that scored Higgins. Higgins reached on a leadoff walk and then stole second before advancing to third after Anquillare was put out at first by the Salve Regina catcher after hitting a line drive that ricocheted off the Seahawks' pitcher.
• The Huskies had another impressive relief performance from senior Jack Bruno (Upton, Mass.) in the top of the eighth as he retired the Seahawks in order while throwing just 12 pitches.
• A walk, a single by Vacchiano and a Salve Regina error loaded the bases for the Huskies with one out in the bottom of the eighth. Anquillare added an insurance run with a single up the middle that scored Keblinsky and a second run came home on a walk by freshman Kaiden Morin (Brewer, Maine).
• Keblinsky closed out the win by getting a fly out and two pop outs in the ninth after giving up a leadoff single.

 
Up Next:
Southern Maine returns to Little East Conference play on Saturday, hosting VTSU-Castleton in a doubleheader beginning at 12 pm. The Huskies then head to Bates College on Sunday (1:00 pm).