Bangor, Maine - Husson baseball picked up two key North Atlantic Conference wins Tuesday afternoon at a damp Winkin Complex. The games were originally scheduled to be home games for the Eagles, but with the harsh Maine winter, Husson played as the visitors with last week's tilt with the Beavers moving to Husson.
"Overall, it was a great day picking up two conference wins," Husson manager Jason Harvey said of the two game set with Farmington.
Game 1 - Husson 18, UMF 4
The two teams played through four scoreless innings before the Eagles Jordan Carter hit a triple all the way to the fence in right center followed by a single up the middle by Ben McLain in the top of the fifth.
Husson added two more runs in the top of the sixth. Shawn Smith led off the inning with a walk and was then successful in is attempt to steal second base. J.T. Whitten followed with a triple down the right field line which scored Smith from second. Brandon Campbell brought Whitten across the plate with a double to left center. Ian McAlister came in for UMF to relieve Casey Ashey following the two runs.
The Beavers would rally in the bottom of the sixth to bring four runs across which ultimately gave them a 4-3 lead. Husson starting pitcher Dan Whitney gave up three runs before Casey Estes came in for relief and Estes gave up the final run of the inning. UMF runs came off a Tom Grady single which brought in a run, an Ethan Jean single which drove in two more, and a Ben Keene sacrifice fly that brought a run.
The Eagles took advantage of seven hits and five errors in the top of the seventh to regain the lead and the 18-4 win. Brandon Gendreau reached first after being hit by a pitch and advanced to second a balk. With first base now open, Shawn Smith was intentionally walked for the second time in the game. J.T. Whitten then came up with a single to left field with the tying run on second and the winning run on first. Ben Campbell came to the plate with bases loaded and hit a soft roller down the left field line which was played by the pitcher, but a throwing error to home plate would allow Gendreau to score from third and Smith came around from second.
Overall, 19 batters came to the plate for the Eagles in the top of the seventh.
Husson sat down the side in the bottom of the seventh for the victory.
The Eagles offense was led by Jordan Carter who went 4-of-5 from the plate with four RBI and scored three runs. J.T. Whitten went 3-of-5 with one RBI and three runs scored while Shawn Smith went 1-of-2 with two RBI and three runs, Smith was also intentionally walked twice in the game.
Dan Whitney went 5.1 innings, allowing four runs on five hits with three strike outs and two walked batters. Casey Estes ant 1.2 innings allowing 0 hits while picking up his first win of the season, he is now 1-0.
Game 2 - Husson 9, UMF 6
The two teams played through the first inning without a runner crossing the plate before the Eagles struck in the top of the second with seven runs.
Shawn Smith started off the inning with a triple to right center. J.T. Whitten drove in the first run off a single to center field, scoring Smith from third. Jordan Carter drove in the next run with a double down the right field line that scored Whitten and advanced Darik Messier to third. With one out, Cody McInnis reached first on a fielding error by the shortstop and advanced to second with Carter and Messier scoring on the play. McInnis stole third and scored on a throwing error by the catcher.
Whitten came back to the plate, struck out but reached first on a wild pitch that moved Smith to second, Pat Thibodeau to third, and scored Dylan Foster. With the bases loaded, Messier was struck by a pitch that brought Thibodeau across the dish.
The Eagles recorded four hits in the inning while leaving three stranded.
Farmington notched a run in the bottom of the third off a Matthew Woodbury sacrifice fly to left field that brought Brett Wallingford across the plate from third.
In the top of the fourth, Kyle McLain singled to left field. Messier would follow him in the lineup, reaching first on a throwing error by the third baseman. McLain would score from third on the play while Messier advanced to third. Andrew Curran picked up an RBI with a ground ball to the shortstop that brought Messier across the plate.
The Beavers added another run in the bottom of the frame and four more in the bottom of the sixth but Husson was able to get out of a couple of good jams for the 9-6 win.
Kyle Bishop got the start for the Eagles on the mound, allowing six hits with two earned runs while striking out three and walking three. Adam Landwehr picked up the save, allowing no hits with one walked batter in one inning pitched.
Manager Jason Harvey said of the two wins: "[We had] two great wins to finish off the sweep. In game one, we got hot in the last inning and were able to respond to them taking the lead in the bottom of the sixth. In game two, we got a lot of guys in and put in some guys that haven't been in some pressure situations this year and our bench guys came through when the game was on the line."
The Eagles return to action on Thursday as they play host to the University of Southern Maine for a single game at 4:00 PM.
