Babson Downs Southern Maine 12-8

GORHAM, Maine -- Sophomore Mark Webber (Norwell, Mass./Dexter School) drove in five runs with a single and a grand slam home run as the visiting Babson College Beavers defeated the 16-ranked University of Southern Maine Huskies 12-8 in a non-conference baseball game Thursday afternoon at the USM Baseball Stadium.

            The win gave Babson head coach Matt Noone, currently in his 14th season, his 300th career victory.  The Beavers have won their last two, and four of the last five, to improve to 18-12-1 overall.  The Huskies dropped their third straight game to fall to 18-9 overall.

            Babson built a 7-0 lead in their first four turns at the plate, highlighted by Webber's fourth-
inning grand slam.  The Beavers put two on the board in the first inning as freshman Connor Gill (Sterling, Mass./Wachusett Regional) reached on an infield error, and sophomore Adam Ayala (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Don Bosco) and junior Jack Halpin (Glastonbury, Conn.) followed with back-to-back RBI doubles.  Senior George Crowley (Watertown, Mass./The Rivers School) increased the lead to 3-0 in the third with his RBI double.

            In the fourth, the Beavers loaded the bases on a leadoff single by sophomore David Lennon (Windermere, Fla.), a one-out single by Gill and an intentional walk to Halpin to set the table for Webber who drove a pitch from USM sophomore starter Bobby Delaney (Merrick, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) over the fence in right-center field for his sixth round tripper of the season.

            The Huskies showed some life in the home half of the fourth taking advantage of a Babson miscue in the field that resulted in three unearned runs.  Sophomore Tom Budrewicz (Boxford, Mass./Masconomet Regional) brought in the first run with a double down the first base line, and rookie Kip Richard (Kennebunk, Maine) followed with a two-run single down the same line.

            Babson put the game away getting a single run in the fifth on an RBI single by junior Jake Weiss (Irvine, Calif.) and fourth runs in the sixth.  In the sixth, Halpin had an RBI double, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Webber's single.  Webber eventually scored on senior Joe Barry's (Stoneham, Mass./Austin Prep) fielder's choice.  Barry scored the final Babson run on a double down the left field line by Lennon to make it 12-3.

            USM pecked away at the Babson lead getting two runs in its half of the sixth on an RBI double by Richard who later scored on a triple by freshman Kyle O'Connor (Lynn, Mass./Lynn English).  Junior Paul McDonough (Wells, Maine) hit a solo home run leading off the seventh, and Budrewicz added a two-run double in the ninth.

            Webber, Halpin, Lennon, Weiss and freshman Eric Jaun (Loveland, Ohio) all had two hits for the Beavers.  Junior Ken Rotunno (East Islip, N.Y.) picked up his third win of the season in the hill going 5 1/3 innings allowing five runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks.  He struck out one.

            Budrewicz led USM's 13-hit attack with two doubles and a single.  O'Connor, seniors Sam Dexter (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) and Jake Glauser (Goffstown, N.H.), and Richard had two hits apiece.  Delaney, 1-1 on the year, took the loss.

            Southern Maine is back in action on Saturday (12:00 p.m.) hosting a Little East Conference doubleheader against Plymouth State University.  Babson opens a three-game NEWMAC series tomorrow at home against Emerson College.