Husson wins two, captures crown Tripp, McInnis, Spencer, Cowperthwaite help Braves sweep Fisher

loading...

BANGOR – The Husson College baseball team concluded its affiliation with the NAIA’s Sunrise Conference with a championship.

Travis Tripp and Chris McInnis combined on a three-hitter and sophomore center fielder Justin Spencer set the school single-season record with his 70th and 71st hits as Husson beat Fisher College 5-1 at the Winkin Baseball Complex Friday night.

Husson had beaten Fisher 3-0 earlier Friday.

“What impressed in these two days was our pitching. And our kids deserved this championship with all the adversity they had to overcome this year,” said first-year Husson coach John Winkin.

“I don’t want to leave the field,” said Husson catcher and co-captain Jason Folsom.

Husson concludes a 27-15 season while Fisher finished at 27-20.

In the title game, Tripp allowed two hits over seven innings with three walks and four strikeouts. McInnis allowed one hit and induced two double-play grounders over the final two innings.

“This was definitely one of my best games. My fastball, curve and slider all worked pretty well,” said Tripp.

Husson took a lead it would never relinquish in the first when Spencer walked, stole second and eventually scored on Folsom’s sharp single to right.

Singles by Spencer, Folsom and Pat Ouellette (RBI) made it 2-0 in the sixth and, after Fisher got one back in the seventh on a Dan Gibson fielder’s choice, a dropped two-out fly ball in the bottom of the seventh by right fielder Anthony Arias re-established Husson’s two-run lead.

Two-out RBI singles by McInnis and Aaron Brideau padded the lead in the eighth but when Brideau bowled over Fisher catcher Justo Rodriguez while trying to score on Adam Sheehan’s base hit, the benches emptied and Brideau and Spencer were ejected.

Brideau, Spencer, Folsom and Sheehan had two singles each for Husson.

In the opener, junior righthander Mike Cowperthwaite said his arm felt “tired” while he was warming up in the bullpen and he was getting a “little nervous.

“But I amped up. It was a playoff game,” said Cowperthwaite, who proceeded to spin a masterful six-hitter to lead the Braves to their win.

The Prospect Harbor native struck out six and walked two and allowed just three Falcons as far as second base.

He threw 84 strikes among his 125 pitches.

“My curve worked well today and I spotted my fastball. My fastball had a lot of movement,” said the former Sumner High School of East Sullivan standout. “I just mixed it up.

“I really felt comfortable out there,” added Cowperthwaite, who added it was one of his “best performances I can remember.”

“He had a pretty good curve and he had good command of it. He’d throw it early in the count and he had us chasing it,” said Arias.

Cowperthwaite had to be sharp because Fisher freshman righty Luis Lara was also superb.

Lara allowed five hits over seven-plus innings with two strikeouts and one walk.

He made one mistake and Sunrise Conference Player of the Year Spencer launched it over the left-field fence for his fifth homer of the season with one aboard in the fourth.

“I thought he was going to throw me a fastball but he mixed it up and threw me a curve,” said Spencer. “I made the correct adjustment. He hung it a little out over the plate. That made my job easier.”

“I hung it and he hit it well,” said Lara.

Shawn Henderson singled home an insurance run in the eighth off reliever Brandon Bell.

Spencer’s sixth-inning single tied Troy Martin’s single-season record of 69.

Folsom also had a single.

Alfredo Torres doubled and singled for Fisher and Victor Joaquin had a pair of singles.

BRAVES 3, FALCONS 0

(First Game)

Husson Fisher

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Brideau, lf 3 1 0 0 Gaffny, cf 3 0 0

Sheehan, ss 4 0 1 0 Marion, lf 4 0 0

Spencer, cf 4 1 2 2 Olisky, ss 4 0 0

Folsom, c 4 0 2 0 Torres, 1b 4 0 0

Mathieu, 3b 3 1 0 0 M. Dunton, dh 4 0 0

Flannery, pr 0 0 0 0 Arias, rf 3 0 0

Kane, 1b 4 0 0 0 Gibson, 3b 3 0 0

Estes, dh 4 0 0 0 Iacono, ph 1 0 0

Henderson, 2b 3 0 1 1 Rodriguez, c 3 0

Ouellette, ph 1 0 0 0 D’Entremont, ph 1 0

McInnis, rf 4 0 0 0 Joaquin, 2b 3 0 0

Totals 34 3 6 3 Totals 33 0 6 0

Husson 000 200 001 ? 3

Fisher 000 000 000 ? 0

E?Gaffny, Olisky, Gibson; LOB?Husson 6, Fisher 8; 2B?Folsom, Torres; HR?Spencer (5); DP?Fisher

Husson IP H R ER BB SO

Cowp’thwaite (W,6-4) 9 6 0 0 2 7

Fisher IP H R ER BB SO

Lara (L,4-3) 8 5 3 3 1 2

Bell 1 1 0 0 0 1

HBP?Brideau by Lara; WP?Lara; BK?Lara 2 T?1:50

BRAVES 5, FALCONS 1

(Second Game)

Fisher (27-20) Husson (27-15)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Gaffny, cf 4 0 0 0 Brideau, lf-rf 5 0 1

Marion, lf 3 0 0 0 Gray, rf 0 0 0

Arias, rf 4 0 0 0 Sheehan, ss 5 0 0

Torres, 1b 4 0 1 0 Spencer, cf 3 2 0

Gomez, pr 0 1 0 0 Malone, 1b 0 0 0

Iacono, dh 2 0 1 0 Folsom, c-cf 4 1 1

Lara, ss 3 0 0 0 Mathieu, 3b 4 0 0

Gibson, 3b 4 0 1 1 Ouellette, dh 3 0 1

Rodriguez, c 3 0 0 0 Flannery, lf 0 1 0

Joaquin, 2b 2 0 0 0 Kane, 1b-c 3 0 0

Williams, ph 1 0 0 0 Estes, ph 0 0 0

Henderson, 2b 3 0 0 0

McInnis, rf-p 4 1 1 1

Totals 30 1 3 1 Totals 34 5 10 4

Fisher 000 000 100 ? 1

Husson 100 001 12x ? 5

E?Gibson, Arias; Brideau, Mathieu, Sheehan LOB?Fisher 6, Husson 6; DP?Husson 32; S?Lara; SB?Spencer 3, Sheehan; Marion, Iacono

Fisher IP H R ER BB SO

Olisky (L,5-3) 8 10 5 4 3 3

Husson IP H R ER BB SO

Tripp (W,8-2) 7 2 1 1 3 4

McInnis (S) 2 1 0 0 1 0

T? 2:35; A?130 (est.)