Bangor, ME - Husson baseball fell in a pair of non-conference contests Wednesday to NESCAC foe Bates, 7-2 and 9-4. The two teams combined to use 16 pitchers in the day/night double dip that took almost five hours to complete.

"Our guys battled," manger Jason Harvey noted after the games. "We did some good things but ran into a hot team. We'll look for the weekend to get back on track."

Game 1: (Bates 7, Husson 2)

Bates scored the first tally in game one, a single run in the top of the first on a an error at first by J.T. Whitten as the Eagles attempted to turn a double play. Steve Burke scored after the ball got away from Whitten as Cody McInnis' throw skipped off the turf to first on the possible twin-killing.

Husson saw its only lead of the day in the bottom half of the first. Dylan Foster led off with a double to left center by using his speed to reach second base easily. Whitten redeemed himself an out later by hitting an even deeper double to almost the same spot as Fosters to plate the Husson center fielder. Kyle Bishop singled in the very next at bat to score Whitten and the Eagles took the 2-1 advantage.

That would be it for the Husson offense in game two as the Bobcats tacked on another run in the second to tie the game and burst for five in the top of the fourth for the 7-2 lead.

Harvey's decision of batting Bishop in the cleanup spot paid off, as the left fielder collected two hits and an RBI to go along with three-hitter Whitten's two hits, a run and RBI of his own. Dennis Meehan also went 2-3 in the first tilt.

Husson's Ben Walls was charged with the loss, falling to 2-1. Walls gave up seven runs, five of which earned, on nine hits and a walk in 3.2 innings.

Reliever Zachary Yates was fantastic yet again throwing just over two innings of shutout ball with three strikeouts while giving up just a hit. Yates has been masterful as of late and only pitched the 2.1 relief innings Wednesday in a non-conference matchup to be available for work over the weekend in four conference games.

Dennis Meehan was also strong in the final inning in giving up just a walk with a strikeout.

Six-foot, eight-inch starter Chris Ward went 4.1 for the visiting Bobcats. Ward struck out one while allowing two earned runs on seven hits. Aidan Sullivan, Connor Colombo and Dean Bonneau all shut out the Eagles in the final 2.2 innings.

Game 2: (Bates 9, Husson 4)

Bates picked up where they left off in game one, scoring runs in both the first and second, and again in the fifth, sixth and seventh for the 9-4 win.

The Eagles battled, scoring two in the third to cut the Bobcat lead. Kyle Bishop notched another RBI with a single to left scoring Foster right after Whitten reached on a fielders choice to score Cody McInnis.

Brandon Gendreau joined the mix for the Eagles in the next inning, picking up a bases loaded RBI walk to push Seth Freudenberger across.

The Eagles had several chances with men on in scoring position including Bishop coming to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth representing the tying run, but reliever Sam Warren who had been the designated hitter, stifled the Husson charge. Warren gave up a run in the at bat before, but hit 87mph on the gun at one point in his inning of relief, en route to a two-hit, two-walk and one-run inning while tallying two K's in his three outs.

Ben Holmes took the loss in an inning of three-hit, three-walk baseball while giving up four earned runs. Mark Cunningham by rule earned the win to move to 1-0. Cunningham went 1.2 innings, giving up three earned on four hits and four walks while fanning four.

Husson falls to 18-13 overall on the season, while Bates improves to 16-11. The Eagles will be back in action this Saturday the 26th and Sunday the 27th at home vs. Lyndon State in two doubleheaders. Saturday's games start at 1:00pm and Sunday's first pitch is set for noon.