Bernard Leads #8/#9 USM by Husson 10-3
GORHAM, Maine -- Senior Chris Bernard (Scarborough, Maine) slammed three extra-base hits, including his second home run of the season, and had three RBI as the University of Southern Maine pounded out 15 hits en route to a 10-3 victory over Husson University in a non-conference baseball game Thursday afternoon at the USM Baseball Stadium.
The win was the second straight for the Huskies, ranked eighth nationally this week in the D3baseball.com poll and ninth in the ABCA Coaches Poll, and improved their record to 16-6 overall. The Eagles, winners of their previous three starts and seven of the last eight, slipped to 10-9 overall.
In addition to his hitting prowess, Bernard picked up the win on the mound going five innings and allowing one run on six hits and three walks while fanning three. Five relievers combined to pitch the final four innings.
Senior John Carey (South Portland, Maine) had three hits, including a pair of doubles, for the Huskies. Sophomore Sam Dexter (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 11 games.
For the Eagles, senior Dylan Foster (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee), sophomore J.T. Whitten (Waterville, Maine) and junior Kyle Bishop (Waterville, Maine) had two hits apiece. Sophomore starting pitcher Dan Whitney (Bethel, Maine/Telstar Regional) was tagged with his second loss of the season against one win.
Bernard put the Huskies on the board in the second inning when he jumped on a Whitney offering and slammed it over the left field fence.
The Huskies added two runs in the third when rookie Paul McDonough (Wells, Maine) lofted a home run over the left field scoreboard after getting a second life when his foul popup was dropped for an error. Carey followed with a double, moved to third on a Dexter single and scored on senior Forrest Chadwick's (Gardiner, Maine) single to left.
The Eagles got one run back in the fourth doing all their damage after two outs. Bishop lined a single up the middle and moved to second when senior Josh Gaudette (Waterville, Maine) walked. Junior Brandon Gendreau (Brewer, Maine) looped a single into left-center field to score Bishop. Bernard issued a walk to junior Jordan Carter (Ellsworth, Maine) to load the bases, but got out of the jam striking out the next batter.
Southern Maine blew the game open in the fifth sending 10 men to the plate to score six runs. Bernard lashed a double down the left field line to chase home Chadwick with the first run. The bid blow in the inning came when junior Jake Glauser (Goffstown, N.H.) lifted his first homer of the season, a three-run shot, over the scoreboard.
Bernard knocked in Chadwick with a double into the left-center field gap in the sixth inning for Huskies' 10th run.
Husson pieced together four singles in the eighth inning to score a pair of runs. Carter knocked in the first run with a slow roller to shortstop, and Foster drove in Carter with a base hit to left field.
Southern Maine is back in action on Saturday (12:00 p.m.) hosting Western Connecticut State University for a Little East Conference doubleheader. The doubleheader will be preceded by presentations to players from last season's team that reached the NCAA Division III championship game. Husson is on the road for a four-game North Atlantic Conference series at Colby-Sawyer College this Saturday and Sunday.
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