STANDISH – Husson College junior righthander James Zukowski hadn’t allowed more than one earned run in any of his previous four starts.

He went a step further Thursday night, firing a masterful six-hit shutout to beat the University of Maine-Farmington 4-0 in their Maine Athletic Conference Tournament opener.

The win made Husson coach John Kolasinski the winningest baseball coach in the history of the Bangor college as he now has 196 career wins in his 11 seasons against 191 losses and one tie.

Second seed Husson, 17-20 overall, will face archrival and top seed St. Joseph’s, a 16-5 winner over Thomas College, in Friday’s 4 p.m. winners bracket game. Host St. Joseph’s is 28-12.

UM-Farmington, 11-13, and 7-24 Thomas of Waterville will play a 1 p.m. elimination game.

The Thomas-UMF winner and Husson-St. Joseph’s loser will play at 7 p.m.

Zukowski allowed one double and five singles while striking out six and walking two. He threw 80 strikes among his 123 pitches.

“I kept my fastball on the outside corner and I also had my changeup working,” said Zukowski. “I was way too pumped up early so I couldn’t get my slider over. I let up on my slider later and I was able to mix it in.

“But I give all the credit to my defense. They stepped up and made big plays,” added Zukowki, whose fifth consecutive win raised his record to 6-4 and lowered his earned run average to 2.73.

His mates committed only one harmless error behind him and second baseman Aaron Largay preserved the shutout in the third inning by diving to his left to keep Jason Cushman’s single in the infield and then gunning out Nick Potts at the plate.

Potts had singled and stole second.

“He threw a lot of fastballs and curves. He threw hard and he kept us off balance,” said UMF left fielder Potts of Lincoln.

Meanwhile, UMF freshman righty Pat Conway also pitched very well, allowing eight hits and four runs over seven innings. He fanned two, walked four and hit three batters.

Conway and reliever Greg Merrill held Husson to a 2-for-18 performance with men in scoring position.

The Braves gave Zukowski the only run he was to need in the fifth inning when John Montgomery lined a leadoff single to left, Jason Cyr walked and, after the runners moved up on Chris Morris’ slow roller to third, Montgomery scored on Mike Worcester’s RBI infield grounder that went for an error.

“I was just trying to put the ball in play and make something happen,” said Worcester, whose one-hop liner glanced off the glove of UMF shortstop Nick Ayotte.

Montgomery was running on the play.

The Braves produced another run in the sixth when MAC Player of the Year Donnie Sawyer pulled a long double down the left-field line, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored when a miscommunication resulted in Largay’s pop fly dropping into left for a base hit.

Husson, which hit into four double plays including two third-to-first-to-third double plays, gave Zukowski some valuable breathing room with a pair of runs in the eighth.

Barrett Williams ripped a sharp single to left and pinch-runner Travis Reynolds moved to second when Largay was hit by a pitch.

Montgomery then blooped a 1-2 pitch into right center to score Reynolds.

“He fooled me with a curve and I just took a one-handed swing,” said Montgomery.

Merrill came on to replace Conway and, one out later, Chris Morris delivered the final run with a hit-and-run grounder to short.

“We got a great performance on the mound, we made the plays in the field when we had to and we got some clutch hits from Worcester and Montgomery,” said Kolasinski.

The 36-year-old Braves coach said he hadn’t given much thought to becoming the winningest baseball coach in school history.

“But since I’m a Husson graduate, it means a lot to me,” said Kolasinski.

Williams and Montgomery had two hits each for Husson while Potts had two for UMF.

In the opener, St. Joseph’s used the home-run ball, two apiece by Todd Spencer and Steve Osborne, to thump Thomas in the opener.

Spencer and Osborne each drove in six runs for the Monks.

The game was called after 6 1/2 innings due to the 10-run rule.

Spencer staked St. Joseph’s to a 4-0 lead with a grand slam in the first inning and he added a two-run shot in a nine-run third inning rally.

Millinocket’s Osborne slugged three-run homers in the third and fifth innings.

Spencer and Osborne also had a single apiece for three-hit games.

Dave Quintal, Joe Holland and Woodland’s Nate Martell had two hits apiece for the winners and Brent Dan hurled seven innings of seven-hit baseball for the win, striking out eight and walking five.

Scott Sibley’s two-run homer, a solo shot by Cutler’s Mike Fergerson and a double and a single by Mars Hill’s Chad Boyd led Thomas.

(First Game) Thomas (7-25) 010 011 2 – 5 7 1 St. Joseph’s (29-12) 409 030 x – 16 13 1

Joslyn, Moody (3), Cronkite (6) and White, Ferreira (5); Dan and Martell

(Second Game) UM-Farmington (13-15) 000 000 000 – 0 6 1 Husson (17-20) 000 011 02x – 4 8 1

Conway, Merrill (8) and Cushman; Zukowski and Worcester