BANGOR- Tanner Evans (Old Town) provided the game winning single on Friday, as Husson University blanked Thomas College 4-0 in the North Atlantic Conference Baseball Tournament at the Winkin Complex in Bangor. The win secures a spot in the championship round on Sunday, as the Eagles are one victory away from claiming their sixth straight league title.
Both starting pitchers were good in this one, as Matt Wallingford for Husson and Jarrad Willette for Thomas put up zeros through five innings. The Eagles got their first hit in the sixth when Jackson Curtis (Ellsworth) singled to leftfield. With one out, Curtis advanced to second on a wild pitch before his brother Hunter Curtis flew out to right. Evans followed with a single up the middle to plate the only run that was needed. Cam Rendell added an RBI single in the seventh inning to double the advantage. The Terriers had the bases loaded in the last of the seventh, but Keegan Cyr (Bangor) made a great play on a ball hit by Matt Seymour (Old Town) into the hole at short to throw him out at first and end the threat. The #1 seeded Eagles tagged on two more runs in the top of the ninth on an error and another single by Rendell to provide the final difference.
Wallingford (Leavitt) got the win on the mound to improve to 4-1 for Husson despite leaving in the bottom of the sixth after throwing two pitches with an apparent shoulder injury. He fired 5.0 innings allowing just three hits with no walks and four strikeouts. Ben Phillips picked up his first save of the season working 2.1 innings and giving up one hit while striking out one. Rendell had two hits and his two RBI to lead the offense. Samuel Keblinsky (MDI) led Thomas College with a pair of hits. Willette (4-3) pitched a great game in the loss giving up two runs on four hits with four walks and 10 strikeouts in 6.2 innings. The #3 Terriers avoided elimination by defeating #2 Lesley University for the second time in the tournament 6-3 in game two on Friday in also moving into the championship round.
Husson (23-14) and Thomas College (20-21) meet again for the 2025 title on Sunday in Bangor (moved from Saturday due to weather). The game time for game one is 11 a.m. The Eagles need one victory to claim the championship. The Terriers need to win game one, and if they do that would force a winner take all game two 30 minutes later.
