GORHAM, Maine -- Senior Anthony D'Alfonso (Westbrook, Maine) had five hits, including two home runs, and six RBI to lead the University of Southern Maine to a doubleheader sweep of Keene State College by scores of 11-7 and 12-0 in Little East Conference baseball action Saturday afternoon at the USM Baseball Stadium.

The two wins extend the eighth-ranked Huskies current winning streak to eight games, and lifts their record to 20-3 overall and 4-1 in the conference. The Owls, who came into the doubleheader riding a five-game winning streak, fall to 13-10 overall and 3-4 in LEC games. The second game was called after six-and-a-half innings on the 10-run rule.  

In the opening game, D'Alfonso went 3 for 4 with a single, double and homer and scored three times. In the nightcap, he was 2 for 4 with a homer and scored twice. D'Alfonso had three RBI in each game. Southern Maine got a big lift in the second game as junior southpaw Collin Henry (Penobscot, Maine/George Stevens Academy) hurled a seven-hit shutout for his first win of the season. Henry did not walk a batter and struck out two.

Trailing 7-5 in the eighth inning of the first game, the Huskies used five hits, a walk, a hit batsman and an infield error to push across six runs. Henry delivered D'Alfonso with an RBI single, and senior Ryan Gaffney (Salem, N.H./Central Catholic) tied the game with an RBI single. USM took the lead on a double steal, and added two insurance runs on a two-run single from senior Chris Burleson (Portland, Maine/Deering).

Sophomore Nick Hahn (Guilford, Conn.) picked up the win going 1.1 innings in relief. Burleson, Gaffney and junior Josh Mackey (Danvers, Mass.) each had two hits in the game. Keene State freshman Kyle Morrill (Auburn, N.H./Memorial) had two hits, including a double, and four RBI, and junior Keith Patnode (Keene, N.H.) had two hits. Sophomore Chris Kochiss (Milford, Conn.), the third of four KSC pitchers, was tagged with the loss.

D'Alfonso staked Henry to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of the nightcap with a three-run shot to left field. Burleson added a solo homer in the third to make it 4-0 before Southern Maine blew open the game open with an eight-run fifth inning. Sophomore Mike Eaton (Sabattus, Maine/Oak Hill) ignited the fifth-inning rally with a homer off the right field fair pole, and later had an RBI double. USM sent 13 men to the plate in the inning, banging out nine hits.

Burleson led a 13-hit attack with three hits. Eaton, D�Alfonso and Henry each had two hits. For Keene State, senior Jeff Perkins (Dunbarton, N.H./Goffstown) was the lone repeat hitter with a pair of singles. Junior starting pitcher Mike Riley (East Hartford, Conn.) took the loss.

Southern Maine is back in action on Tuesday (3:30 p.m.) with a rescheduled LEC game at home against Plymouth State University. Keene State is off until Thursday (3:30 p.m.) when it travels to Westfield State College.

(Courtesy USM Sports Information)