GORHAM, Maine--Junior third baseman Christian Bourgea's sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh inning gave the No. 6 seeded Keene State College baseball team a 5-4 win over top seed and No. 20 University of Southern Maine in the opening game of the Little East Conference tournament at Flaherty Field.

Records

• Keene State: 15-21
• Southern Maine: 28-10

How it Happened

Senior Michael Crimi scattered six hits over eight innings, striking out four to improve to 7-3.

The Owls jumped on USM starter Dalton Rice in the first, stringing together four hits and scoring twice.  Zach Rollins doubled on the first pitch he saw, and scored on Connor Longley's single to left.  Connor Walsh followed with a double to right-center that made it 2-0.

Southern Maine got on the board on an error in the bottom of the inning, but the Owls restored a two run lead when John Tarascio doubled to lead off the fourth inning, and scored on Nate Rossi's single to center.

The Huskies took their first lead of the ballgame in the bottom half of the fourth, taking advantage of two Keene State errors and a 2-RBI single from Andrew Olzak.

KSC tied the game in the top of the fifth when Rollins singled, stole second, and scored on Longley's double to left-center.   

Longley greeted USM reliever Matt Correale with a triple to right field to begin the seventh inning, and Bourgea brought him home with a sacrifice fly to center.

Crimi worked out of trouble in the sixth when Rossi threw out Devin Warren trying to steal third, then set the Huskies down in order in the seventh and eighth.   Andrew Houde came on for the ninth, picking up his second save of the season by striking out pinch-hitter Kaleb Bridgham to end the game.

Rollins, Tarascio, and Rossi each had two hits, while Longley was 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI and scored twice.

Around the Horn

• It marked the fourth time in the last seven years that the No. 6 seed had beaten the No. 1 seed to open the LEC tournament.  Rhode Island College beat Eastern Connecticut in 2011, while Plymouth State beat Southern Maine in 2012 and Western Connecticut State beat UMass Boston last season.   The Anchormen in 2011 are the only No. 6 seed to ever win the LEC tournament.
• It was Keene State's first LEC tournament win since a 4-3, 12 inning win over Eastern Conn. State in the 2012 edition of the tournament.  
• Crimi's win tied him with Dan Nelson (2010) and Jeff Pelkey (2011) for the most wins by a pitcher in a single season in school history.

Up Next

• Keene State will play the loser of the day's third game between UMass Dartmouth and Eastern Connecticut State at 12:30 on Thursday, May 11.
• The Huskies will play either UMass Boston or Rhode Island College in an elimination game on May 11 at 9:30 am.