By Cullen McIntyre, Sports Editor
While many students took the week of Spring Break off to relax and get ready for the rest of the semester, spring sports teams headed south to Florida for preseason. The USM Baseball team competed in seven games during their spring trip, winning six out of the seven games in the Sunshine State.
The Huskies first game was against the Amherst College Mammoths, with senior general management major Dalton Rice getting the start. USM took an early 3-0 lead in the second inning on a fielder’s choice and a two-run homerun from senior general management major Zach Quintal. But the Mammoths instantly answered with a five-run third inning, with a wild pitch, two RBI singles, and a two-out error accounting for all of them. Senior liberal studies major, Jake Dexter’s RBI single in the fifth would make the score 4-3 after five. Dylan Hapworth, a junior athletic training major, had a single in the ninth would bring the game level at 4-4, and senior liberal studies major Devin Warren’s single would give the Huskies a walkoff win to start off their trip in Florida.
The team won the following game against Illinois Wesleyan University 9-2, with Warren continuing to perform going 4-5 with three RBI’s as well as three runs and a homerun. Junior mechanical engineering major Gage Feeney got the win, pitching six innings and striking out two while only allowing two earned runs on two hits.
Baseball’s third win would come in their next game against Wisconsin-La Crosse, in 2-0 shutout. The team’s two runs came in the sixth inning from Quintal scoring on a fielder’s choice and a Hapworth triple. Junior general management major Ben Lambert pitched seven shutout innings, striking out eight and only allowing three hits, earning him the win.
The only loss came in the fourth game, a brutal 15-4 loss to The College of New Jersey. The Huskies allowed runs in every inning but the fifth and the sixth, and only scored in the third and sixth innings. Sophomore general management major Joshua Joy got the loss, allowing six earned runs on six hits in only two innings pitched.
But the Huskies would bounce back immediately with a 14-2 win over the St. Norbert College Green Knights. A five run first inning gave the Huskies an early lead, and they continued to dominate offensively for the rest of the game. Sophomore sports management major James Sinclair pitched eight innings earning the win, allowing two earned runs on four hits while striking out 13.
The Huskies would come back from behind to beat Rowan University in their next game, winning 9-7. Through seven innings, the team were down 7-3 with their only runs coming in the second and fifth innings. A two-RBI double in the eighth from Warren brought the Huskies closer with the score at 7-5 after eight, and a four run ninth inning would propel the team past the Profs to win. Senior art major Henry Curran earned the win with a single inning pitched, and allowing only one hit.
The final game of the Florida trip saw the Huskies topple Springfield College 11-5. USM took an early 4-0 lead with a single run in the first, and Dexter’s three-run homer in the second adding to the score. Springfield would two back in the second, but the Huskies would respond with five more runs in the top of the third inning. Springfield’s three other runs would come in the third, fifth, and ninth innings, with USM only adding to their tally in the sixth and eighth innings. Feeney earned his second win of the trip, pitching six innings and striking out three batters while allowing four runs on five hits including a homerun.
Huskies Baseball play their next game at Ed Flaherty Field on Tuesday, April 2 at 3:30 p.m. against UMass Dartmouth.