Climbing as high as seventh in national polls before even playing a game, the USM baseball had high expectations. But through the first 14 games of the season, they’ve lived up to all the hype.
After sweeping their nine games in Arizona, the Huskies returned to the East Coast riding a ten-game winning streak as they took on the number one team in the country, Eastern Connecitcut for a double-header on Saturday.
Prior to Saturday’s game, senior pitcher/first-basemen Collin Henry told the Free Press that if his team could hold Eastern Connecticut to six or seven runs, they’d be successful.
Henry’s prediction ended up being spot on as the Huskies split with the number one team in the country, winning the first game 7-1 and losing the second 8-4, just a run over Henry’s threshold.
In the first game:
Senior righthander Tim Therrian (New Portland) pitched a complete-game gem, striking out eight and allowing six hits, as the team handed Eastern Connecticut their first loss of the season, 7-1.
Therrian allowed no hits after the fourth inning and retired the final eight batters he faced. The only run he surrendered was unearned coming of an error and two singles.
The Huskies, facing one of the Warrior’s premier players in Shawn Gilblair, got things going in the fourth inning when they posted four runs thanks to a two-run single by sophomore catcher Jordan Berthiaume (Berlin, CT), an error and an RBI single by junior Josh Mackey (Danvers, MA). USM then added insult to injury when they ousted Gilblair in the fifth with back-to-back shots by junior Collin Henry (Penobscot) and senior Ryan Pike (Saco), who homered in his fourth consecutive game. Berthiaume continued the offensive fireworks when he scored USM’s final run with a solo homer later in the inning.
Henry led the Huskies with four hits.
In the second game:
A shaky first one-third of an inning likely cost the USM a chance at sweeping the nation’s best team as the Warriors reeled off four runs before the Huskies could collect their second out of the game.
Eastern Connecitcut’s Gilblair, who was chased by the Huskies’ power, got revenge when he blasted three-run bomb off Henry, the game two starter. A subsequent solo home-run brought sophomore Chris Hahn (Guilford, CT) out of the pen to quell the storm.
But, the Huskies weren’t to be quieted. Sophomore Mike Eaton (Sabattus) belted his own three-run shot in the second to pull the Huskies within one. But Eastern Connecticut wouldn’t surrender their lead, as they widened it to 5-3 the next inning. Senior Chris Burleson’s RBI single in the fourth would be as close as they Huskies would get before Eastern Connecticut pulled away for the 8-4 win.
Early outdoor games pay dividends in AZ
For the first time since the Arizona trip’s inception, the USM baseball went undefeated.
Many of the Huskies’ players feel that playing three games in New York prior to Arizona really made a difference in preparing for their competition in the Valley of the Sun.
“I think those three games in Long Island really benefitted us by getting us used to playing outside, especially defensively. I mean last year we came out and lost our first three games in Arizona and really struggled defensively, and our improvement showed this year as we didn’t commit an error in our first four games. It was crucial in our preparation for this trip,” Henry said.
The benefit of playing outdoors before Arizona was readily apparent when Southern Maine defeated the 2008 World Series runners-up Johns Hopkins 12-7 in their opener out West.
The Huskies lineup scored the first nine runs of the game with eight coming off right-hander Chez Angeloni, who was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2008 College World Series and handed eventual National Champion Trinity their only loss of the season.
Wins were also posted against always competitive Middlebury, Roger Williams, and Springfield as USM tallied a total of 138 runs.
Offensive juggernaut
USM’s tenacious hitting lineup and a combination of experienced veteran/young poised pitching has helped them swipe the number 10 spot in the country.
Seven Husky starters are currently batting over .300, with two of them batting over the coveted .400 mark.
Division III’s “Murderer’s Row,” averaged 12.2 runs per game in Arizona and has a team batting average of .353. The Huskies are led by seniors Anthony D’Alfonso (Westbrook) who is batting .396, with 16 RBI’s and 1 home run, five tool shortstop Burleson (Portland) who is batting .416 with 11 RBI’s and 3 home runs including 25 hits in 12 games, and DH/outfielder/pitcher Andrew Stacy (Denmark) who is batting .400 with 12 RBI’s and 20 hits.
The middle of the lineup is reinforced by senior slugger Ryan Pike (Saco) who has homered in the last four game, and Ryan Gaffney (Salem, NH) who earlier in the year homered four times in the first three games. The two of them have combined for 37 of the team’s 136 RBI’s.
Pitching and defense win championships
Not only was the offense outstanding in Arizona, but the pitching and defense has fulfilled expectations as well, and still seeks to improve. The defense has committed 14 errors in its 14 games, but the pitching staff has a combine ERA of 5.21 and has only given up a total of 5 home runs.
Defensively, USM is solid at every position with the quick feet and strong arms from Pike, D’Alfonso, Eaton, and rookie Roberto Valenti (Lawrence, MA) in the outfield.
The infield is anchored by Burleson at shortstop, solid fielding at the corners from Gaffney and Henry, smooth fundamentals from Mackey, and freshman Anthony Pisani (Cheshire, CT) at second, and Berthiaume catching.
USM’s deep pitching staff thrived in Arizona, and is led by senior Therrian (4-0, 2.05 ERA), and sophomore Mike Eaton (3-0, 1.46 ERA), as well as veterans Henry, Stacy, Mark Schmidt (Gorham), Ben Ives (Portland), and UMaine transfer Josh Jillson (Monmouth).
The Huskies recieved solid relief appearances from Hahn and senior Andrew deBethune (Pittsfield), and also very good debut’s from freshman hurlers Matt Melia (East Sandwich, MA), Matt Leach (Saco), and Brennan Perry (Hampden) who have all recorded wins.
What’s next
The Huskies have a busy week in front of them with six games in as many days. They will host a pair of games at the Wainwright Complex in South Portland against Bowdoin and Bridgewater State before they welcome LEC foe Plymouth State to Gorham on Friday. The Huskies will then travel to Western Connecticut for a double-header on Saturday and will catch Wheaton College of Massachusetts (#6 in the nation) for a game on Sunday that could help the Huskies ascend the national rankings, perhaps even to the top spot.