Simmons keys Husson sweep Braves beat UMF, now 14-8

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BANGOR – Keith Simmons was Mr. Versatility for the Husson College Brave baseball team on Sunday.

The sophomore pitcher-first baseman from Friendship fired a two-hit complete game in the opener and tied the second game with a two-out, eighth-inning single as the Braves completed a weekend sweep of the weary University of Maine-Farmington Beavers 5-1 and 6-5 in 10 innings.

Husson had swept Saturday’s twinbill 8-1, 11-0.

The Beavers were playing their seventh consecutive day of doubleheaders Sunday.

Husson improved to 14-8 while UMF fell to 6-10.

“Keith had a great day,” said Husson coach John Kolasinski.

The Braves won the wild nightcap when UMF ace reliever Pat Conway hit Jared Foster on the foot with a bases-loaded, two-out 0-2 curve.

But there wouldn’t have been a 10th inning if it hadn’t been for Simmons’ game-tying single.

Tony LaPrino’s one-out single, a walk and a foul out set the stage for Simmons.

He fell behind 1-2 before delivering a line-drive single to center.

“I was expecting a curve,” said the lefthanded-hitting Simmons. “Luckily, I got a fastball and he left it up and out over the plate. I just wanted to make contact and see what I could do for the team.”

LaPrino also triggered the decisive 10th-inning rally by pulling a sharp single to right.

One out later, he moved to second on a Conway balk and, with two outs, Simmons was walked intentionally.

Conway hit Mike Worcester on the arm to load the bases and, after Foster fouled off an 0-2 pitch, he plunked him on the foot.

“It was probably going to end in some fluke way like that,” said Kolasinski, who had watched UMF take a 5-4 lead on a one-out wild pitch in the eighth after his team had tied it on a one-out seventh-inning wild pitch.

A two-out wild pitch in the sixth gave UMF a 4-3 lead.

Matt Soucie’s two-run single had helped stake Husson to a 3-0 lead but Jason Cushman’s two-run base hit tied it.

LaPrino had three hits for Husson. Simmons, Don Sawyer and Josh Ferguson had two each as did UMF’s Cushman and Jeff Bird.

“We did a very good job sticking in there after getting down early. We had a one-run lead twice but we just couldn’t hold it,” said UMF coach Dick Meader.

Kolasinski said his tired opponents “could have very easily rolled over in the second game but they kept coming at us. They’re a real tough club.”

In the opener, Simmons struck out six and didn’t walk a batter while allowing just a pair of Mike Fullerton singles.

“My curve kept them off balance quite a bit,” said Simmons.

The only run off him was unearned.

Lincoln’s Zac Reed pitched well in defeat but the Braves strung together six two-out hits to score all five runs in the fourth.

John Montgomery doubled and scored on a two-out wild pitch before singles by John McGlinn, Ferguson and Tony Creek (RBI) made it 2-0.

Jason Folsom broke the game open by lining a two-run opposite-field single to right.

“We’ve been working on taking the outside pitch to right in practice,” said Folsom.

Singles by Soucie and LaPrino (RBI) capped the rally.

Montgomery, Folsom and McGlinn had two hits each for Husson.

Braves 5, Beavers 1

(Sunday’s First Game)

UM-Farmington Husson

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Writer, cf 3 0 0 0 Soucie, cf 4 0 0

Leblanc, 3b 2 0 0 0 LaPrino, rf 4 0 1

b-Conway 1 0 0 0 Sawyer, 2b 2 0 0

Cushman, dh 3 0 0 0 Montgomery, lf 3 1 0

c-Willard 0 1 0 0 Simmons, p-dh 3 0 0

Fullerton, 1b 3 0 2 0 McGlinn, c 3 0

Potts, c 3 0 0 0 a-Takahashi 0 1 0

Williams, lf 3 0 0 0 Ferguson, ss 3 1 0

Bird, ss 2 0 0 0 Creek, 1b 3 1 1

Sharland, 2b 2 0 0 0 Folsom, 3b 3 1 2

Mendell, dh 2 0 0 0

Totals 24 1 2 0 Totals 28 5 10 4

a?courtesy runner for McGlinn in 4th, b?fouled out for Leblanc in 6th, c?ran for Cushman in 7th

UM-Farmington 000 000 1 ? 1

Husson 000 500 x ? 5

E?Ferguson, Folsom, Bird, Leblanc; LOB?UMF 1, Husson 6; 2B?Montgomery; DP?Sawyer-Ferguson-Creek; Bird-Fulleron; SB?Montgomery

UM-Farmington IP H R ER BB SO

Reed (L, 1-1) 6 10 5 5 0 3

Husson IP H R ER BB SO

Simmons (W, 2-1) 7 2 1 0 0 6

HBP?Sawyer by Reed, WP?Simmons 2, Reed; T?1:48

Braves 6, Beavers 5 (10 inns.)

(Sunday’s Second Game)

UM-Farmington (6-10) Husson (14-8)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Writer, cf 4 1 0 1 Soucie, cf 5 0 2

Bird, ss 5 0 2 1 LaPrino, rf 5 2 0

Cushman, dh 5 0 2 2 Sawyer, 2b 4 1 0

Fullerton, 1b 4 0 1 0 Montgomery, dh 5 0

Potts, c 5 0 1 0 Simmons, 1b 5 0 1

a-Reed 0 1 0 0 b-Creek 0 0 0 0

Williams, lf 5 1 1 0 M. Worcester, c 3 0 0

Sharland, 2b 3 1 1 0 c-Nelson, p 0 0 0

Ventura, rf 2 0 0 0 d-Takahashi 0 0 0

e-Garrow 0 0 0 0 Foster, lf 4 0 1

Leblanc, 3b 3 1 1 0 Ferguson, ss 4 1 0

Folsom, 3b 5 1 1 0

f-Prescott 1 0 0 0

g-McGlinn 1 0 0 0

Totals 36 5 9 4 Totals 42 6 12 4

a?courtesy runner for Potts in 4th, 8th; b?ran for Simmons in 7th; c?courtesy runner for Worcester in 2nd; d?courtesy runner for Worcester in 10th; e?walked for Ventura in 10th; f?popped into double play for Soucie in 10th; g?struck out for Worcester in 7th

UM-Farmington 000 031 010 0 ? 5

Husson 021 000 100 1 ? 6

E?Leblanc; LOB?UM-Farmington 12, Husson 17; 2B?LaPrino; DP?Bird-Fullerton; S?Sharland, Ventura; SB?Reed; Ferguson 2, Soucie, Sawyer, Folsom

UM-Farmington IP H R ER BB SO

Mendell 6 5 4 0 4 3

Conway (L, 1-3) 3? 7 2 2 2 5

Husson IP H R ER BB SO

T. Reynolds 4? 3 3 3 2 7

Dionne 1 3 1 0 0 2

Dostie 2? 1 1 1 2 3

Nelson (W, 1-1) 2 2 0 0 2 1

HBP?Sawyer, Montgomery by Mendell; Worcester, Foster by Conway; Writer by T. Reynolds; BK?Conway; WP?Dostie 3, Conway; T?3:14; ATT?108