Southern Maine Downs Salem State 7-1

Sophomore Dylan Hapworth, seen here against RIC in 2017, was 3-for-4 with a HR against Salem State on Thursday (file photo by Jason Johns).

SALEM, Mass. -- Sophomore Dylan Hapworth (Winslow, Maine) went 3-for-4 with three runs scored as the University of Southern Maine Huskies topped the Salem State University Vikings, 7-1, in non-conference action Thursday afternoon at the Central Campus Baseball Field.

            The Vikings had their four-game win streak snapped and are now 12-6 on the season.  The Huskies improved to 9-6 on the year.

            Southern Maine struck first as Hapworth doubled to deep left-center field to lead off the second.  A fly ball to center field moved Hapworth to third, and he then came home on an RBI groundout by junior Jake Dexter (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee).

            The Vikings tied the game 1-1 in the third.  Senior Mac Daniel Singleton (Everett, Mass.) induced a walk to start the inning. Sophomore Kyle O'Connor (Lynn, Mass.) then laced a single to right to put runners on first and third. Following a steal of second by O'Connor, senior Alex Toomey (Beverly, Mass.) delivered a sacrifice fly to tie the game off Southern Maine rookie starter Joshua Joy (Smithfield, Maine/Messalonskee).

            Hapworth put the Huskies back on top for good in the fourth with a solo home run to left center.

            Sophomore Colton Lawrence (Farmington, Maine/Mt. Blue) replaced Joy in the sixth.  Joy went five innings and allowed one run on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

            Sophomore Anthony Degifico (South Portland, Maine) gave Southern Maine some insurance in the eighth, plating rookie Sam Troiano (South Portland, Maine) with an RBI single to center.

            The Vikings tried to get back in the game in the bottom of the eighth.  O'Connor laced a one-out double to left.  Following a groundout, junior Henry Curran (South Portland, Maine) came in for the Huskies and hit junior Joe White (Bellingham, Mass.) with a pitch putting runners on first and third.  However, Dexter came in to face the next batter and ended the threat with a strikeout.

            Southern Maine then opened up a six-run lead in the top of the ninth.  Sophomore Andrew Hillier (Bangor, Maine) doubled and a single by Hapworth put runners on the corners to start the inning.  Freshman Justin Horvath (Saugus, Mass.) replaced junior starter Andrew McLaughlin (Peabody, Mass.) with two out in the ninth. A botched pitch-out on an intentional walk scored one run and a bunt on a squeeze play by Dexter made the score 5-1.  Juniors Tanner Laberge (Windham, Maine) and Devin Warren (Smithfield, Maine/Messalonskee) then added back-to-back run-scoring singles for a 7-1 lead.

            Joy picked up the win, and Dexter earned his fifth save of the season.  McLaughlin took the loss going 8.2 innings and allowing six runs on 11 hits with three strikeouts. Horvath allowed a run on two hits while senior Ryan Kelleher (Hanover, Mass.) recorded the final out in the ninth for Salem State.

            O'Connor and Joe White had two hits apiece for the Vikings.  Warren and Dexter combined for four hits and three RBI for the Huskies.

            The Huskies travel to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth on Saturday (12 p.m.) for a Little East Conference doubleheader.  Salem State hosts Massachusetts Maritime Academy on Saturday (12 p.m.) for a MASCAC doubleheader.