ORONO – Some years, the annual midweek baseball battle between the University of Maine and Husson provides a storybook ending, as the NAIA Braves of Bangor somehow scrape their way past the big bad Bears from Orono.

That happened in 1995. And in 1993.

As of Wednesday, it hadn’t happened in 44 other meetings between the schools.

Make that 45.

The Black Bears spotted Husson a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth, then exploded for nine runs over the next two innings en route to an emphatic 16-1 thumping of the Braves.

UMaine won its 10th straight game and improved to 21-7, while Husson dropped to 14-14.

The Black Bears weren’t able to solve Husson starter Barrett Dionne (four hits, no runs), but when Dionne reached his predetermined pitch count after three innings, they feasted the relief corps.

Husson coach John Kolasinski said his team’s big concern is a pair of weekend doubleheaders, and Dionne will pitch one of those games. So when he reached 54 pitches after three innings of work (his magic number was 60), the fact that Husson led 1-0 meant nothing.

“We are a competitive team, but we also have to know that where we are going to go in two weeks when the postseason starts depends on how well we play on Saturday and Sunday, too,” Kolasinski said.

“That’s what’s gonna get us to our next level.”

When Dionne exited, the Bears wasted no time in jumping on reliever Travis Reynolds in the bottom of the fourth, tallying five runs.

Maine sophomore Simon Williams set the tone, smacking a two-run homer to give the Bears the lead for good.

“We definitely needed a big play because they were up 1-0,” Williams said. “We needed someone to step up and get things rolling. It was raining out and there were tough conditions.”

UMaine collected four home runs and six doubles and stole seven bases in the win.

Williams also homered to lead off the fifth, doubled in the sixth, was hit by a pitch in the seventh and reached on an infield error in the eighth.

He scored after each of his last five plate appearances.

Matt Reynolds added two doubles and two singles and knocked in two runs, while Mark Reichley singled twice and drove in three. Joe Drapeau and Pete Saunders also homered for Maine, while Alain Picard extended his hitting streak to 23 games with a double and a single.

Another bright spot for the Black Bears: Sophomore Greg Creek, who evened his pitching record at 1-1 with a strong start.

Creek entered the game with the highest earned run average on the squad (10.22), but was masterful against the Braves.

Creek held Husson to just one hit and an unearned run, walked three and struck out seven.

“I didn’t realize that Greg would give us five innings,” Maine coach Paul Kostacopoulos said. “I thought he threw the ball extraordinarily well. He was 86, 88 [mph]. He’s coming. He’s gonna be pretty good.”

Ryan Harris and Adam Labelle mopped up, throwing two innings apiece and allowing just one hit the rest of the way.

Labelle accounted for five of the Black Bears’ 14 strikeouts while Harris fanned two.

The Black Bears finished with 20 hits for the second time in two nights (UMaine topped Colby 20-2 Tuesday), but Kostacopoulos said he was much more pleased with Wednesday’s performance.

“I think there was a crispness in what we did [tonight],” Kostacopoulos said.

“We just did some better things in the field. I thought we were much sharper. And I thought we were much sharper on the mound.”

The Braves, who started six freshmen and three sophomores, received an RBI double from John McGlinn and a single from Shawn Henderson.

BLACK BEARS 16, BRAVES 1

Husson (14-14) Maine (21-7)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Ferguson, ss 2 0 0 0 Young, cf 4 1

Kane, ss 0 0 0 0 Ouellette, 2b 5 0 3

b-Kane 0 0 0 0 c-Saunders 1 1 1

Brideau, cf 2 1 0 0 Ferriggi, 2b 0 0 0

a-Tribou 1 0 0 0 Picard 4 0 2 0

Baylies, rf 0 0 0 0 Tobin, dh 2 0 0

Harvey, 1b 4 0 0 0 Drapeau, c 4 1 2

McGlinn, lf 3 0 1 1 Izaryk, c 1 1 0

d-Ham 1 0 0 0 Ross, rf 5 2 0

Folsom, 3b 1 0 0 0 Williams, lf 5 5 3

Urquhart, 3b 1 0 0 0 Reynolds, 3b 6 1 2

Mathieu, dh-p 3 0 0 0 Carlton, 1b 6 1

Bard, rf-cf 2 0 0 0 Reichley, ss 3 2 3

Stoddard, c 3 0 0 0

Henderson, 2b 3 0 1 0

Totals 27 1 2 1 Totals 46 16 20 16

a-grounded out for Brideau in eighth; b-struck out for Kane in 8th; c-homered for Ouellette in 8th; d-struck out for McGlinn in 9th

Husson 000 100 000 ? 1

Maine 000 541 33x ? 16

E?McGlinn, Folsom 2, Urquhart; Creek; LOB?Husson 4, Maine 13; 2B?McGlinn; Ouellette, Picard, Williams, Reynolds 2, Carlton; HR?Saunders (1), Drapeau (6), Williams 2 (7); DP? Reichley-Ouellette-Carlton; SF?Young, Reichley; SB?Young, Ouellette 2, Picard, Drapeau 2, Reynolds

Husson IP H R ER BB SO

Dionne 3 4 0 0 0 2

T. Reynolds (L, 1-7) 1? 8 9 8 2 1

Prescott ? 1 0 0 1 0

E. Reynolds 1 2 1 1 1 0

Foster 1 2 3 1 0 0

Mathieu 1 3 3 1 0 0

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Creek (W, 1-1) 5 1 1 0 3 7

Harris 2 0 0 0 1 2

Labelle 2 1 0 0 0 5

HBP?Williams by Foster; Bard by Labelle; T?2:55; ATT?217