GORHAM, ME - Junior third baseman Josh Mackey (Danvers, MA) had three hits, including his fifth home run of the season, and drove in four runs as the number one nationally-ranked University of Southern Maine baseball team defeated University of Massachusetts Boston, 16-7, Thursday afternoon at the USM Baseball Stadium in the first game of the four-team, double-elimination Little East Conference Baseball Championship tournament.
The win was the fourth straight for the top-seeded Huskies, who are ranked number one in this week's D3Baseball.com/National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll and number three in the American Baseball Coaches Association survey improve to 35-5 overall. Southern Maine will play Eastern Connecticut State University, a 7-3 winner over Keene State College, at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, while the fourth-seeded Beacons, who came into the game riding a five-game winning streak, drop to 19-21 and will play Keene State at 10:00 a.m. on Friday.
The Huskies pounded out 15 hits, including three home runs, and boasted four players with three or more runs batted in against four UMass Boston hurlers. Southern Maine scored 12 runs on the day with two outs in the inning. Senior shortstop Chris Burleson (Portland, ME) also had three hits, including a home run, and three RBI. Senior left fielder Anthony D'Alfonso (Westbrook, ME) had a double and home run and three RBI, and sophomore right fielder Mike Eaton (Sabattus, ME) had two hits and three RBI.
Senior right-hander Tim Therrian (New Portland, ME) survived a shaky start to pitch seven innings for his ninth win of the season against no losses. Therrian gave up nine hits, two walks and six runs while striking out five.
Sophomore shortstop Dan Noonan (Westport, MA) and freshman center fielder Mark McCormack (Shelton, CT) led the Beacons attack with two hits each. Noonan drove in three runs with a pair of singles. McCormack had two doubles to reclaim the season school-record at 18 and also drew a walk to tie Chris King's mark of 24 set in 2005, while knocking in two runs. Sophomore second baseman Ryan Walsh (Newton, MA) and freshman third baseman Jim Albano (Medford, MA) had two hits apiece.
Sophomore southpaw Andrew LeBrun (Stoneham, MA), who shut out Southern Maine on the same field 13 days ago, pitched into the sixth inning. He gave up nine hits, 10 runs (seven earned) and three walks while fanning three as his record slipped to 4-4.
Tied 5-5 after two innings courtesy of Mackey's two-run shot in the second, USM took control in the third inning scoring four times. Burleson made the Beacons pay dearly for their only error of the game hitting a three-run homer to center field. Noonan got one run back for the Beacons in the fourth with an RBI single before the Huskies put the game away with two runs in the sixth and five more in the seventh to take a 16-6 lead. In the sixth, Mackey plated Burleson with a sacrifice fly, and D'Alfonso scored on a double by senior Ryan Pike (Saco, ME). In the seventh, Eaton had a two-run single, stole second and scored on Mackey's third hit of the game. D'Alfonso followed with his two-run homer to left center.
UMass Boston opened the game with three runs in the top of the first with McCormack leading off with a double to center field and scoring on a single through the middle off the bat of Walsh. He then stole second base and scored on another single up the middle by Noonan. Noonan moved to second on a fielder's choice and to third on a slow roller just past the pitcher from sophomore catcher Tim Fontaine (Worcester, MA). Sophomore first baseman Connor Reinfurt (Manchester, NH) came through with a single through the middle to give UMB a 3-0 lead. Southern Maine wasted no time in answering taking advantage of three walks in the bottom of the frame as part of a two-run inning. Burleson and Eaton each drew walks to open the inning, before Mackey loaded the bases with a line drive single to center field. D'Alfonso worked a walk to force in a run and senior center fielder Ryan Pike (Saco, ME) plated the second run with a sacrifice fly to left field to make it 3-2.
The Beacons kep t the pressure on in the second when freshman right fielder Ty Buccetti (Wallingford, CT) worked a leadoff walk and came around to score on a double to center field that skipped off the glove of the center fielder going back. McCormack later scored after moving to third on a fielder's choice and coming home on an infield error to give UMass Boston a 5-2 margin. The Huskies rallied for three runs in the bottom of the inning to knot the contest at 5-5 when senior first baseman Ryan Gaffney (Salem, NH) led off with a single and later scored on a two-out single up the middle from Eaton, who trotted home on a two-run homer by Mackey.
UMass Boston tacked on a run in the eighth when senior pinch-hitter Ryan Oshima (La Jolla, CA) drew a leadoff walk, freshman third baseman Jim Albano (Medford, MA) followed with a single and Oshima later scored on a sacrifice fly to right from McCormack to make it 16-7, but that would be all the Beacons would get.
