The University of Southern Maine needed to win their first contest on Sunday afternoon against New England College in order to force a winner take all game for the regional championship at the NCAA Division III baseball tournament at Ed Flaherty Field in Gorham. The hosts did just that, but the Pilgrims sent the Huskies to a heartbreaking defeat in extra innings in the decisive second game to advance to the Super Regionals.
In the first game, USM ended all thoughts of a clinching game for NEC by scoring nine runs over the first three innings to take a huge lead and cruise to a 16-4 win. Andrew Hillier (Bangor High) continued his torrid stretch at the plate going 5 for 6 with six RBI in the win. Devin Warren added three hits, while Zach Quintal, Jake Dexter (Messalonskee High), and Jack Sylvia had two each part of a 20 hit game for the tournaments top seed. Jameson Corey and Connor Morin had two hits a piece for the Pilgrims, while Xavier Nunez drove in a pair with a sacrifice fly and an RBI groundout. NEC had their nine game win streak snapped in the loss.
Ben Lambert (10-1) was huge in getting the win on the mound in the elimination game for the Huskies allowing just one run, one hit, with two walks, and four strikeouts in 6.1 innings. Joseph Pascucci (4-4) was hit hard in the loss allowing nine runs, seven hits, with four walks in just 2.1 innings.
In game seven of the weekend and second tilt of the day for the regional championship, NEC took control early with four runs in the first inning before USM came back to take a lead. The Pilgrims though were able to come back and even the score and send it to extra innings, where they would win it in walkoff fashion in the 13th inning.
The Pilgrims came out swinging with the big four run bottom of the first to make it 4-0, chasing Huskies starter Dalton Rice out of the game after just 1/3 of an inning. USM chipped away, as Warren singled in a run in the second and Sam Truiano hit a solo homer in the fifth to cut it to 4-2. A big sixth inning allowed the Huskies to take their only lead of the game. Andrew Olszak reached on a fielders choice to bring in a run, and Troiano hit a popup deep enough into short right field to score Dexter from third to tie the score 4-4. Dylan Hapworth then hit a two run homer to make it 6-4 USM.
NEC came right back though in the bottom of the seventh on a Anderson Jimenez RBI single, and a Morin RBI groundout to tie it 6-6. Both teams had good chances especially the Huskies as the game went to extra innings. In the 11th USM loaded the bases with one out, but Sylvia popped out to second, and then Pilgrims second baseman Jimenez made a diving play in short right field to end the threat on a ball hit by Huskies catcher Jason Komulainen. USM threatened again in the 12th as Warren reached on an error and Hillier singled to put runners on first and third with noone out. Quintal would then line out to the third baseman Bobby Fulkerson who doubled up Warren who was halfway between third and home. Dexter then hit a deep shot that looked like a two run homer when it left the bat, but was caught at the left field fence by Nick Powers. Powers then would reach base in the bottom of the 13th on an error by Hillier, and was sacrificed to second base on a bunt by Joe Maestu. Carey then ended it with a sharp single to center to score Powers and walk it off and send the Pilgrims to the Super Regionals.
Dexter had four hits for USM. Hillier had three, while Warren, Olszak, Quintal, and Komulainen had two a piece. Hillier ended up going 16-25 in the five games this weekend with nine RBI and five runs scored. Dexter (2-2) took the loss on the mound allowing one run (none earned), three hits, with one walk, and six strikeouts in 6.1 innings in relief of both Rice and Henry Curran. Dexter ends his college career appearing in 176 games with a .345 batting average. He also holds the school record with 34 saves in his time in Gorham, and an ERA of 2.08. The Huskies had a record of 130-50 in his four years. The hosts also committed four errors in Sunday’s second game, but outhit NEC 18-8. The Huskies finish another great season and their 25th tournament appearance with a final record of 37-9. Carey was the only hitter with multiple hits for the Pilgrims with two, while six others had single hits. Shaun Cormier (2-1) was great in relief of starter Dylan Champagne allowing no runs, four hits, with two walks, and four strikeouts in 7.1 innings.
New England College is now 28-16, and will face the regional champion Beacons from UMass-Boston who are 33-11 and went 3-0 in their regional play over the weekend. The Super Regional round is a best of three series and will be played at Monan Park in Boston, the home of the Beacons. The first game is Friday, with a possible two games on Saturday with the winner advancing to Cedar Rapids, Iowa and the Division III World Series.
