The USM baseball team’s struggles continued as they were swept by Eastern Connecticut State University 15-5 and 15-8 in a Little East Conference doubleheader at ECSU Baseball Stadium on Saturday.
And the theme of lacking lineup contribution and pitching troubles seemed to stay consistent throughout the day.
Only four Huskies accounted for 15 of USM’s 19 hits in the doubleheader, and USM pitching collectively surrendered 27 hits, 13 walks and nine hit batsman as they were outscored by their annual rivals 30-13.
The Warriors were quite the opposite of the Huskies as they were relentless from the plate and on the mound. Junior rightfielder Steve Cammuso was a menace for the USM pitching staff, recording five hits and ten RBIs, and senior pitcher/outfielder Jim Schult hit two home runs, scored eight times and pitched six innings, while striking out ten to win the nightcap.
USM got off to a quick start in the first game, scoring twice in the first inning after Eastern starting pitcher Jeff Dimon walked the bases loaded, hit a batter and walked another.
The Warriors countered the Huskies first inning with a two-run inning of their own, as Cammuso hit a two-run double down the rightfield line off USM junior starter Greg Holmes.
ESCU struck again when Schult hit a solo home run in the bottom of the third, but the Huskies answered to tie the score at three in the top of the fourth when sophomore first basemen Brett Barrett hit a solo home run.
USM tallied two more in the top of the fifth when senior captain Josh Mackey hit a 2-run single up the middle to take a 5-3 lead, but the Warriors tacked up two more in the bottom of the inning, and scored a combine ten more runs over the next 3.2 inning off USM relievers.
In the second game, the Huskies took a 3-0 lead in the first 2 1/2 innings but ESCU exploded with six runs the bottom of the third, and scored nine more runs over the final six innings to win 15-8.
USM faces what is arguably its biggest challenge of the season, five games in a five-day stretch over the next week. These are must-wins for the Huskies, especially since they have lost three straight, a streak that started on Thursday when they lost 8-2 to Salem State.
The Huskies will play at UMass Boston on Tuesday, and will host Colby College, Endicott, and Rhode Island College (DH) on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.