Colonials end USM’s streak

MANSFIELD, Conn. – The second-seeded University of Southern Maine Huskies battled back through the losers bracket into the championship game of the Little East Conference baseball tournament before falling 6-5 to Western Connecticut on Saturday.

The loss ends USM’s string of 15 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division III tournament.

The Huskies topped No. 3 Western Connecticut 5-4 in 10 innings earlier Saturday to force the final game.

In the championship game, Chris Miller rapped an RBI single in the seventh inning to snap a 4-4 tie and give the Colonials the title. Miller also tied the game with a solo home run in the sixth.

Peter L’Italien drilled a triple, a double, a single and drove in a run for the Huskies. Greg Stacy singled and doubled while Derek Meader and Tyler Delorme added two singles each.

In Saturday’s first game, Brian Marshall drove in Darrin Daniels with a 10th-inning single.

Marshall and Daniels finished with three singles each for Southern Maine. Andy Lang added a homer and a single and knocked in two runs. Marshal also drove in two. Craig Gureckis singled twice.

(Saturday’s First Game)

W. Connecticut 120 000 200 0 – 5 13 4

USM 020 010 020 1 – 6 13 0

Palanzo, Rivers (8), Kelley (10) and Nardi; Liddy, Carlson (2), Adams (7), Boileau (10) and L’Italien

(Saturday’s Second Game)

USM (28-15-1) 002 200 000 – 4 11 1

W. Connecticut (20-20) 300 001 10x – 5 7 2

Lemieux, Boileau (6) and L’Italien; Werner, Manning (4), Stumpf (6), Rivers (9) and Nardi

Softball

Teikyo Post 3, St. Joseph’s 2

At Georgian Court College in Lakewood, N.J., Melissa Czeremcha’s run-scoring single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth ousted St. Joseph’s from the NAIA Regional Tournament.

Laura DiNapoli picked up the win in relief by retiring all six hitters she faced. She also drove in the first two runs with a first-inning single and sixth-inning double.

St. Joseph’s tied it in the seventh on Kristen Gaudette’s double and singles by Kahler Dowling (RBI), Kim LaRock and Cortney Sirois (RBI).

St. Joseph’s (27-18) 000 000 200 – 2 6 4

Teikyo Post (25-22-1) 100 001 001 – 3 8 1

Gaudette and Bain; Garofalo, DiNapoli (8) and Tarallo