ST. LEO, Fla. – The Husson College baseball team set a lofty goal of 10 wins for its annual two-week, 14-game trip to Florida.

The Eagles didn’t quite reach that standard, but they made sure Saturday morning they would return to Bangor with a feeling of accomplishment and plenty of confidence.

Husson demonstrated its clutch hitting ability, going 10-for-17 with runners in scoring position on its way to an 11-9 victory over Webster University (Mo.).

Coach John Winkin’s squad scored twice in the seventh inning to take the lead, then added an insurance run in the eighth to cap a successful trip for the Eagles.

“That’s an awesome trip for us,” Winkin said. “I think that was a great victory and a remarkable trip, one of the best that I’ve been on.”

Husson, which arrived in Florida ambitiously hoping to pick up 10 wins, ended the swing at 9-5. The team believes it has set the tone for the northern part of its schedule.

“We knew coming into this game that if we’d end the trip off with a big win it would be an unbelievable win,” said senior Jason Harvey of Bucksport. “I think going back home we’ve got a lot of confidence and I think we’ll just be rolling from there.”

The Eagles continued to hit the ball hard, getting at least one hit from each of its nine starters. Leadoff batter Dan White and No. 9 man Jeff Miller were among the catalysts.

White singled three times and knocked in three runs, while Miller provided a double, two singles, and two RBIs. Harvey collected three singles, and Adam Sheehan doubled and singled, with Andrew Patterson and Chris McInnis adding two singles each.

Husson scored five of its runs after two were out.

Ryan Hoffman stroked three singles with two RBIs to head an 11-hit attack by the 5-8 Gorloks.

Husson’s momentum was snatched away in the sixth when Webster tied the game at 8-8 with a four-run uprising. The Eagles overcame their fatigue and regained the upper hand in the bottom of the seventh.

Webster reliever Steve Mueller, who had worked a 1-2-3 sixth, retired the first two batters in the seventh. Sheehan then ignited the Husson rally, pounding a double to the gap in right-center.

Devin Potvin got aboard with an infield single courtesy of a high hop that forced third baseman Michael Hall to make an off-balance grab and throw. Miller then drew a walk to load the bases.

White capitalized, ripping a two-run single through the box that nicked the pitcher’s glove on its way into center field.

“It would have been easy to fall apart and really not get ourselves together for a big situation,” said Dover-Foxcroft’s White. “We put some big hits together in timely situations and that’s the reason why we won today.”

The Eagles made the lead stand up as Keith Nason allowed an unearned run in the eighth and Travis Tripp worked a scoreless ninth.

Freshman lefthander Chad Lavway started for Husson, allowing five hits and four runs in five innings.

Husson’s clutch hitting began early. After Matt Adams gave Webster a 2-0 lead with a two-run home run in the first inning, the Eagles tied it in the second.

Patterson and McInnis led off with singles, then rode home on Miller’s two-out double to left-center.

“I had kind of a slump the last two games and I just concentrated on making contact and good things happen when you make contact,” Miller said.

Patterson made it 3-2 in the third with a two-out RBI single to left, then Husson piled on four runs in the fourth. Sheehan singled, Potvin reached on an error and Miller punched a bunt single that the third baseman couldn’t handle.

White, Justin Spencer, and Harvey then stroked consecutive RBI singles before the fourth run scored on a double-play grounder, extending the advantage to 7-2.

The Gorloks chased Lavway with two runs in the fifth, sparked by Michael Hanson’s two-run single, then answered a run by the Eagles with the game-tying four-run sixth against Husson reliever Gerry Worster.

The Eagles regrouped and made their late-inning charge, refusing to allow their fatigue and soreness to keep them from fighting back.

“It’s a long trip. He [Winkin] puts us through a 14-game schedule for a reason,” White said. “It’s to get us tougher, get us ready for a long season.”

EAGLES 11, GORLOKS 9

(Saturday Morning)

Webster (5-8) Husson (9-5)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Winter, rf 3 1 1 1 White, 2b 5 1 3

York, cf 5 2 1 1 Spencer, cf 5 0 1

Adams, 2b 5 1 1 3 Harvey, ss 5 2 1

Hoffman, 1b 4 0 3 2 Brawn, dh 5 0 0

Hanson, lf 4 0 1 2 Patterson, 2b 4 1 1

Hall, 3b 4 0 1 0 McInnis, rf 4 2 0

d-Tomer 0 0 0 0 Sheehan, 3b 3 2 1

Braning, p-dh 3 1 1 0 Potvin, cf 4 0

e-Hilliard 1 0 0 0 b-Davis 0 1 0 0

Garner, c 5 1 1 1 Tefft, lf 1 0 0

Webb, ss 3 3 1 0 Miller, lf 3 1 2

a-Shannon 0 0 0 0

c-Thomas 0 0 0 0

McGinley, c 0 0 0 0

Totals 37 9 11 9 Totals 39 11 18 9

Webster 200 024 010 – 9

Husson 021 410 21x – 11

a-ran for Miller in fifth, b-ran for Potvin in seventh, c-walked for Miller in seventh, d-ran for Hall in ninth, e-flied out for Braning in ninth

E-Hall, S. Mueller; Harvey, Sheehan; LOB-Webster 9, Husson 9; 2B-Miller; Sheehan; 3B-Harvey; HR-Adams; DP-Braning-Webb-Adams-Hoffman 2, B. Mueller-Garner-Hoffman; S-Winters, Hall; Patterson; SB-York 2, Winters, Braning; McInnis

Webster IP H R ER BB SO

Hearn 3 11 7 6 0 0

S.Mueller (L) 4 8 4 4 1 2

B.Mueller 1 0 0 0 2 0

Husson IP H R ER BB SO

Lavway 5 5 4 4 4 3

Worster (W) 2 3 4 4 1 0

Nason 1 2 1 0 0 0

Tripp (S) 1 1 0 0 0 0

Hearn pitched to five batters in the fourth

HBP-Webb (by Worster); WP-Worster; T-2:50; ATT-17