Southern Maine Cruises Past Salem State 12-3

Salem, Mass. – Kyle O'Connor (Lynn, Mass.) went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI as Southern Maine ran away with a 12-3 victory over Salem State on Friday afternoon at the Central Campus Baseball Field. The Huskies improve to 9-5 on the season while the Vikings slip to 7-10-1.

Joe White (Bellingham, Mass.) put the Vikings on the scoreboard in the first with a single to left that scored Dan Connors (Danvers, Mass.) from second as Salem State took an early lead.

Southern Maine countered with four runs in the top of the third to take a 4-1 lead. O'Connor was hit by a pitch and Paul McDonough (Wells, Maine) followed with a walk. A failed pick off put runners on second and third and following an intentional walk, Sam Stauble (Harrison, Maine) plated two with an RBI single. With runners on second and third, Jake Glauser (Goffstown, N.H) knocked in two more runs with a base hit as Southern Maine built a three-run lead.  

Mike Davis (Peabody, Mass.) led off the fifth with his fifth home run of the season to left centerfield
to draw the Vikings to within two, 4-2.  Salem State starter Will Twiss (Middleton, Mass.) ran into trouble in the sixth. Glauser tripled to center and Brandon Martins (Manorville, N.Y.) followed with an RBI single. Back-to-back hits put runners on first and third before O'Connor blasted a three-run home run to right to put the Huskies up 8-2. Twiss (0-3) was relieved by George Tsonis (Peabody, Mass.) after pitching 5.2 innings and allowing eight runs on 11 hits with a strikeout.

Meanwhile, Southern Maine starter Jack Donnelly (Walpole, Mass.) settled in, giving up just a walk until Mac Daniel Singleton (Everett, Mass) led off the seventh with a bunt single. With Singleton on second, Richard Fecteau (Newbury, Mass.) hit an RBI base hit to right center to make the score 8-3. A walk to Alex Toomey (Beverly, Mass.) brought in reliever Matt Correale (Peabody, Mass.).  Donnelly (2-0) lasted 6.2 innings and gave up eight hits, three runs (two earned) with five strikeouts.

The Vikings' Jacob Faulkingham (Old Saybrook, Conn.) came in for Tsonis in the eighth.  Southern Maine greeted Faulkingham with three straight hits, including an RBI single by Sam Dexter (Oakland, Maine). A groundout produced another run as the Huskies built a 10-3 lead. Tom Budrewicz (Boxford, Mass.) capped the scoring with a bases load single, which scored two runs to give Southern Maine a 12-3 lead in the eighth. Ryan Browner (Georgetown, Mass.) closed out the game on the mound for the Huskies, allowing two hits and walk in two innings pitched. Ryan Kelleher (Hanover, Mass.) pitched a scoreless ninth for Salem State.

Stauble finished 3-for-4 with three RBI, and Martins also went 3-for-4 for Southern Maine, which collected 16 hits. Fecteau added three hits in four at bats for Salem State while Teghan Malionek (Salem, Mass.) and Singleton finished with two hits apiece for the Vikings.

Salem State will play Bridgewater State in a MASCAC doubleheader at 12:00 PM today. Southern Maine  is at UMass Dartmouth for a twinbill beginning at noon.