Southern Maine Defeats Salem State 12-3

Senior Ryan Browner fired two shutout innings in relief as USM knocked off Salem State 12-3 on Friday.

GORHAM, Maine -- Sophomore Sam Stauble (Harrison, Maine/Bridgton Academy) and rookie Kyle O'Connor (Lynn, Mass./Lynn English) combined for five hits and six RBI to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 12-3 non-conference victory over the Salem State University Vikings Friday afternoon at the Central Campus Baseball Field.

            Stauble was 3 for 4 with two runs scored and three RBI while O'Connor was 2 for 3, including his first collegiate home run, with three runs scored and three RBI.  Sophomore Brandon Martins (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) had three singles, and junior Paul McDonough (Wells, Maine), senior Jake Glauser (Goffstown, N.H.), and sophomore Tom Budrewicz (Boxford, Mass./Masconomet Regional) had two hits apiece.  The Huskies out hit the Viking 16-10 in the game.

            Freshman right-hander Jack Donnelly (Walpole, Mass.) earned the win going 6 2/3 innings
allowing three runs (two earned) on eight hits and three walks with five strikeouts.

            Senior Richard Fecteau (Newbury, Mass./Triton Regional) had three singles for the Vikings, and junior Teghan Malionek (Salem, Mass.) and Mac Daniel Singleton (Everett, Mass.) had two hits.  Sophomore starter Will Twiss (Middleton, Mass./Masconomet Regional) took the loss going 5 2/3 innings surrendering eight runs on 11 hits and three walks with one strikeout.

            The win was the second straight for the Huskies and improved their overall record to 9-5 heading into four Little East Conference games this weekend.  The Vikings had their two-game winning streak snapped to fall to 7-10-1 overall.

            Trailing 1-0 heading into the third inning, the Huskies erupted for four runs on two-run singles from Stauble and Glauser.  USM loaded the bases on a hit batsman and two walks to set the stage for Stauble who singled.  A groundout advanced senior Sam Dexter (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) and Stauble up a base before Glauser brought both home with a single.

            Salem State pulled within two (4-2) in the fifth on a leadoff solo home run from senior Mike Davis (Peabody, Mass./Bishop Fenwick).

            Glauser ignited another four-run uprising in the sixth with a one-out triple.  Martins singled in Glauser before being thrown out attempting to steal second.  Budrewicz and rookie Jake Dexter (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) had back-to-back singles before O'Connor launched his first career round tripper.

            After the Vikings picked up a single run in the seventh, the Huskies put the game out of reach with their third four-run inning.  Sam Dexter brought in the first run with a single that extended his hitting streak to 14 games.  Stauble knocked in his third run with a ground ball, and Budrewicz capped off the rally with a two-run single.

            Southern Maine will be on the road this weekend playing LEC doubleheaders at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth on Saturday (12:00 p.m.) and Rhode Island College on Sunday (12:00 p.m.).  Salem State has a MASCAC doubleheader at Bridgewater State University on Saturday (12:00 p.m.).