Bears’ streak at 17; take two from Braves

loading...

ORONO – The winning streak ran to 17 games and University of Maine Coach John Winkin was encouraged by certain aspects of his team’s 4-0 and 12-2 sweep of Husson College at Mahaney Diamond here Wednesday.

He was particularly encouraged by the pitching performance of fifth-year senior lefthander Ed Therrien, who spun a four-hit shutout in the opener, and, to a lesser degree, the outing turned in by sophomore righty Jason Dryswak in the nightcap.

Dryswak hurled six innings of six-hit, two-run baseball.

“Therrien pitched pretty well and Dryswak pitched decently,” said Winkin. “That was the aim of today.”

Maine is now 30-13 overall and the Bears have beaten Husson 35 consecutive times. Husson is 9-15 and has lost five in a row.

Therrien struck out 11 in his route-going performance, throwing 69 strikes among his 106 pitches. He walked four and hit a batter.

“I couldn’t keep my fastball down but they chased it a lot,” said Therrien, now 5-1. “My curve was my best pitch and I was able to throw it for strikes. It’s the best curve I’ve had all year.”

Husson first baseman Frank Peckham said Therrien had “more velocity than I remember him having.”

“He got the out when he needed it,” said Husson Coach John Kolasinski.

Therrien said even though his performance came at the expense of an NAIA school, he was pleased.

“I pitched well and did my job,” said Therrien. “I didn’t give up any runs.”

Maine gave Therrien the only runs he was to need when it scored twice in the first inning off Husson starter and loser Matt Dutille, 2-3.

Shanan Knox walked and stole second and scored when Brian Seguin ripped a double to right center.

“It was a 3-1 pitch and I knew he’d be coming with a fastball,” said Seguin. “It was towards the outside part of the plate.”

Seguin went to third on Mark Sweeney’s grounder and eventually scored on Gary Taylor’s sacrifice fly.

Maine got a run in the fourth off reliever Dean Bowden when Shawn Tobin and Taylor opened the inning with sharp singles to left center, Tim Scott sacrificed them along and Glen Stupienski hit a sacrifice fly.

The Bears got their final run in the fifth off Jamie Pete as two walks sandwiched a Seguin single and Tobin followed with a run-scoring fielder’s choice.

Therrien pitched out of a two-on, one-out jam in the first by getting Peckham on a check-swing grounder and striking out Tim Knapp on a high fastball. In the third, a two-out walk and a Peckham double put runners on second and third but Therrien fanned Knapp on a low and inside curve.

In the nightcap, Knox got the Bears started by triggering a four-run first inning with a lead-off homer off starter and loser Peter Allen, 2-4.

Knox’s homer to left was his ninth of the year and four of those have led off the first inning.

“He threw me a fastball right down the middle and it was straight,” said Knox, who pulled it to left. “I thought it had a good chance to go out.”

“It was a meatball,” said Allen.

Two outs later, Tobin singled and stole second, Taylor walked and the two worked a double steal. Scott walked to load the bases and a wild pitch plated Tobin before Gabe Duross grounded a two-run single to center.

Duross said he thought he hit an inside fastball but Allen said “it was a hanging curve.”

Maine got three in the third and fourth in the fourth off reliever Rich Mazurek to break the game open.

In the third, Sweeney doubled, Tobin walked and Taylor ripped an RBI double to right center before a walk, Chad White’s RBI fielder’s choice and Todd Livingston’s RBI single capped the rally. In the fourth, Taylor doubled home two runs, Scott blooped an RBI double and White had an RBI infield single.

Dryswak fanned six and walked two while throwing 52 strikes among his 85 pitches. Ted Novio finished up.

Taylor had two doubles for Maine while Sean Sullivan and Knapp had a double apiece for Husson. Sullivan and Greg Morrill (sacrifice fly) had the RBIs.

Black Bears 4, Braves 0

(First Game)

Husson Maine

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Sullivan, cf 4 0 0 0 Knox, dh 1 2 0 0

Vanid’tine, dh 3 0 0 0 Seguin, ss 3 1 2 1

Gilmore, rf 1 0 1 0 Sweeney, cf 2 0 0 0

Peckham, 1b 3 0 1 0 Tobin, 1b 2 1 1 1

Knapp, 3b 3 0 1 0 Taylor, rf 1 0 1 1

Mayo, c 2 0 0 0 Scott, 2b 2 0 0 0

Mazurek, lf 3 0 0 0 Stupienski, lf 2 0 0 0

Palmer, 2b 2 0 1 0 Kelliher, c 3 0 1 0

Dumont, ss 2 0 0 0 Livingston, 3b 2 0 0 0

a-Bennett 1 0 0 0 White, lf 0 0 0 0

Duross, 1b 0 0 0 0

Totals 24 0 4 0 Totals 18 4 5 4

a – struck out for Dumont in 6th inning

Husson 000 000 0 – 0

Maine 200 110 x – 4

2B – Seguin, Peckham LOB -Maine 5, Husson 8 SB – Knox S – Scott SF – Taylor, Stupienski

Pitching Summary

PITCHER IP H R BB SO

Therrien (W, 5-1) 7 4 0 4 11

Dutille (L, 2-3) 2 1 2 3 0

Bowden 2 2 1 0 1

Pete 2 2 1 3 1

HBP – Vanidestine (by Therrien) TIME -1:48

Black Bears 12, Braves 2

(Second Game)

Husson Maine

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Sullivan, cf 3 0 1 1 Knox, dh 3 1 1 1

Bean, c 2 0 0 0 Seguin, ss 2 1 0 0

R. Gilmore, lf 3 0 0 0 Sweeney, cf 3 2 2 0

Peckham, 1b 3 0 1 0 Tobin, c 2 2 1 0

Vanid’tine, dh 1 1 1 0 Taylor, rf 2 3 2 3

Knapp, rf 3 0 1 0 Scott, 2b 1 2 1 1

Morrill, 3b 2 1 1 1 Duross, 1b 4 0 1 2

Palmer, 2b 3 0 1 0 White, lf-cf 4 0 1 2

Foley, ss 3 0 0 0 Livg’stn,3b-2b 3 0 1 1

b-Godbout 1 0 0 0 Domenick, dh 1 0 0 0

c-Bourget 1 0 0 0 Higgins, ss 1 0 0 0

d-J. Gilmore 1 0 0 0 a-Karlson 1 0 0 0

Slicer, 3b 1 0 1 1

Stupienski, lf 1 0 0 0

King, c 1 1 1 0

Totals 26 2 6 2 Totals 30 12 12 11

a – flied out for Sweeney in 5th inning

b – lined out for Sullivan in 7th inning

c – struck out for Bean in 7th inning

d – struck out for R. Gilmore in 7th inning

Husson 000 011 0 – 2

Maine 403 401 x – 12

E – Sullivan 2B – Taylor 2, Sweeney, Scott, Sullivan, Knapp, King HR – Knox (9) LOB -Husson 7, Maine 5 SB – Tobin 2, Taylor SF – Morrill

Pitching Summary

PITCHER IP H R BB SO

Allen (L, 2-4) 2 3 4 2 2

Mazurek 4 9 8 3 3

Dryswak (W, 3-1) 6 6 2 2 6

Novio 1 0 0 0 2

HBP – Vanidestine (by Dryswak) WP – Allen, Dryswak, Mazurek TIME -1:49