GORHAM, Maine – University of Southern Maine (14-6) defeated Saint Joseph's College (16-7), 6-3, in a non-conference baseball game at Ed Flaherty Field on Thursday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Southern Maine scored a pair of runs off two hits and an SJC error in the bottom of the second, when sophomore Anthony Degifico (South Portland, Maine) posted an RBI single and Andrew Hiller (Bangor, Maine) sprinted home when the base hit was mishandled in the outfield.

The Monks responded with two runs of their own in the top of the third, as junior right fielder Anthony DiPrizio (Rochester, N.H.) plated junior shortstop Joey Murphy (Derry, N.H.) with a double and later scored on a sac fly off the bat of sophomore third baseman Will Martin (Arlington, Mass.).

The in-state rivals traded runs in their subsequent turns, as junior second baseman Jake Dexter (Oakland, Maine) singled and eventually scored on a Devin Warren (Smithfield, Maine) base hit in the third and senior Chris Gerossie (Chester, N.H.) raced across the plate on a single from junior Jared Gagne (Dover, N.H.) base knock in the fourth.

USM went on to secure the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth, when Dexter led off and was hit by a pitch and trotted home when sophomore Dylan Hapworth (Winslow, Maine) launched a home run over the left field wall, making it a 5-3 game.

Three different Husky pitchers combined to hold the Monks to three hits and just four baserunners total over the last four innings combined and USM tacked on a run off two hits in the top of the eighth for the 6-3 final.

ON THE MOUND:

• SJC senior starter Travis Godbout (Portland, Maine) took the loss and falls to 3-1 on the season after allowing five runs (four earned) off seven hits and two walks in four innings
• Freshman Jonathan Marchia (Chicopee, Mass.) tossed 2.2 scoreless innings in relief
• Senior Josh Partridge (Deerfield, N.H.) gave up a run off three hits in 1.1 innings
• USM freshman starter Joshua Joy (Smithfield, Maine) yielded three runs off six hits and two walks in 4.1 innings
• Southern Maine relievers Colton Lawrence (Farmington, Maine), Henry Curran (South Portland, Maine), Tanner Laberge (Windham, Maine) and Jake Dexter combined to allow four hits with a pair of strikeouts in 4.2 innings
• Lawrence earned the win and improves to 3-0 and Dexter earned his eighth save of the year

OFF THE BAT:

• Junior first baseman Noah McDaniel (Eliot, Maine) was 2-4 with a pair of singles
• Murphy doubled, scored a run, and stole a base
• Dexter, Warren, Degifico, and Jason Komulainen (Gorham, Maine) posted two hits apiece for the Huskies

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's will host Anna Maria College in a GNAC doubleheader tomorrow starting at 3:30 PM.

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