Junior David Ricker (Winthrop, Maine) stroked a walk off RBI single to right field to lift the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 6-5 12-inning win over local rival St. Joseph’s College (Maine) Monks in a non-conference baseball game Wednesday night at the USM Baseball Stadium in Gorham, Maine.With the win, the Huskies improve to 14-13 overall. The loss is the first in four games for the Monks who fall to 21-11.
With the bases loaded and one out, Ricker collected his third hit of the game to grab the victory just in the nick of time for the Huskies as the game was threatening to be called due to darkness. The RBI was Ricker’s eighth of the season.
With the scored tied at three runs each after five innings, both teams were kept off the scoreboard through the tenth. The Monks struck first in the top of the 11th inning reaching USM’s Mike Eaton (Sabattus, Maine/Oak Hill) for two runs on two hits, two walks and one hit batsmen. Prior to the 11th, Eaton held the Monks scoreless through two innings.
Freshman Alex Lorenc (Nanuet, N.Y./Clarkstown South) drove in the first run of the inning for the Monks when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, before sophomore Nate Martin (Chebeauge Island, Maine/Greely) scored sophomore Sam Butts (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) with an RBI bunt single. Butts reached base safely with a single through the left side earlier in the inning.
The Huskies rallied in the bottom of the inning with two runs of their own to force another inning in dark conditions. After giving up two base runners on a hits batsmen and a walk, Monk junior Andrew Devereaux (Hope Valley, R.I./Chariho) retired the Huskies next two batters. With runners on two bases and two outs, the Huskies sent sophomore Brett Barrett (Keene, N.H.) to the plate as a pinch hitter. Barrett delivered for USM with a laser of a single through the right side, scoring junior Anthony Pisani (Cheshire, Conn./Notre Dame). Sophomore Tucker White (Deerfield, N.H./Coe-Brown Northwood) drove in the game tying score in the next at bat with an RBI single up the middle to plate junior Roberto Valenti (Lawrence, Mass./Central Catholic). After the two runs, Devereux was replace in favor of senior Chris Dion (Lawrence, Mass./Central Catholic) who got the final out for the Monks on a strikeout.
In the top of the 12th, Eaton returned to the mound for the Huskies and retired the Monks in order on a infield pop up, ground out and a strikeout. In the bottom of the inning, Dion recorded the first out of the inning before back-to-back singles to senior Jordan Berthiaume (Berlin, Conn.), in a pinch-hitting situation, and Pisani. The Monks intentionally walked Valenti to load the bases and give themselves a force play at each bag, before replacing Dion with junior Kyle Neagle (Lisbon Falls, Maine). It was then that Ricker struck for the game-winner.
Eaton earned the win on the mound for the Huskies. Eaton pitched four innings in relief allowing two earned runs on four hits and two walks while picking up a pair of strikeouts. Dion was tagged with the loss for the Monks allowing one earned run on two hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning.
St. Joseph’s starter junior Chad Rafferty (Keene, N.H.) pitched well through eight inning for the Monks allowing three earned runs on five hits and four walks. Rafferty struck out five. Southern Maine starter sophomore Ryan Yates (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) allowed three earned runs in five innings on nine hits and a walk.
Southern Maine travels to Plymouth State University on Friday (1:00 p.m.) for a Little East Conference doubleheader. St. Joseph’s College travels to Anna Maria on Thursday (3:00 p.m.).
At Gorham, Maine
St. Joseph’s College (21-11) 111 000 000 020 5-14-1
Southern Maine (14-13) 200 010 000 021 6-11-2
Batteries: SJC, Chad Rafferty, Andrew Devereaux (9), Chris Dion (11), Neagle (12) and Willie Brown, Ian Lee (11)
SM, Ryan Yates, Greg Holmes (6), Brennan Perry (7), Mike Eaton (9) and Lucas Marks
WP: SM, Eaton (1-1) LP: SJC, Neagle (1-2)
2B: SJC, Mike Pratt 2, Todd Keneborus, Will Brown SM, Josh Mackey
3B: None
HR: SJC, Keneborus
RBI: SJC, Keneborus 2, Alex Lorence, Nate Martin, Dan Achorn
SM, Tucker White 2, David Ricker, Brett Barrett, Mackey, Eaton
Repeat Hitters: SJC, Chris Campbell, Sam Butts, Keneborus, Pratt, Achorn
SM, Ricker 3, Anthony Pisani
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