GORHAM, Maine--#20/21 University of Southern Maine (16-6, 5-2 Little East) used a four-run sixth inning to blow the game open and went on to earn a 6-1 win over visiting UMass Boston Baseball (10-10, 3-4 Little East) Tuesday afternoon at the USM Baseball Stadium. 

With the Huskies clinging to a 2-1 lead, the hosts scored four runs on four hits in the sixth, with All-Region shortstop Sam Dexter providing the big blow with a two-run double. Dexter finished the game 3-for-4 with a run scored and three RBI to help the Huskies earn their fifth-straight conference win, after being swept by Western Connecticut State University to open conference play.

Zack Bean and Andrews Richards held the Beacons' offense to seven hits and one run, while striking out five. Bean improved to 1-1 by going 5.2 innings, while Richards got the save, by not allowing a base runner over the final 3.1 innings. 

Senior Todd Ezold (Westfield, Mass.) and junior Luke Nagle (Pembroke, Mass.) each recorded a team-best two hits in the loss for the Beacons.

Steve Roche (Worcester, Mass.) was the first of five Beacons pitchers to face-off against the nationally-ranked Huskies and the senior took the loss. Roche went three innings and allowed one run on five hits and two walks.

Four Beacons relievers would close out the game, with freshman Steve Witkowski (Pittsfield, Mass.) and senior Josh Cummiskey (Lowell, Mass.) each throwing a scoreless inning.

Southern Maine opened the scoring in the bottom of the second, as Dexter hit a sacrifice fly to plate Dylan Morris, who had led off the inning with a double.

After the Beacons hit into their second double play of the game in the top of the fourth, the Huskies tacked on a second run in the bottom half of the inning. Paul McDonough hit an RBI groundout with two runners in scoring position to make it 2-0 after four.

Ezold managed to cut the deficit in half in the fifth inning. The senior designated hitter singled to lead off the inning, moved to second on a passed ball and took third on a wild pitch. He finally scampered home on a second passed ball to make it 2-1 in favor of the hosts.

UMass Boston nearly tied the game in the top of the sixth inning, but Nagle was thrown out at the plate, after he tried to score on a Trevor Bouvier (Salem, N.H.) single.

The Huskies managed to gain some breathing room in the sixth inning when they scored four runs off of Steve Consiglio (Southbury, Conn.) and Bryan Kaufman (Farmingdale, N.Y.).

Brendon Joyce led off with a triple and scampered home on a Brandon Martins single. After another single and a pitching change, Dexter blasted a two-run double to make it a 5-1 game. Devin Warren drove in Dexter with an RBI groundout for the final run of the inning and the contest.

UMass Boston managed just one base-runner the rest of the way against Richards, as Richards lowerd his team-best ERA 1.31 in a team-high 48 innings of work.

The Beacons will return to action on Wednesday, as they travel south to take on Roger Williams University at 3:30 p.m.