GORHAM, Maine – The University of Southern Maine needed only three pitchers to hold the Keene State College baseball team to just two runs over 18 innings – including a shutout in a no-hitter in the second of two games – as they posted 5-2 and 7-0 Little East Conference victories Saturday afternoon at Ed Flaherty Field.

Records

• Keene State:  6-25, 2-11 LEC
• Southern Maine:  18-16, 8-5 LEC

How It Happened – Game One
Tom Vesosky and Cam Seymour combined to drive in five runs as USM built a 5-0 lead after three innings and that proved to be enough for a victory in the opener.  The Owls had plenty of baserunners, piling up eight hits to go along with three walks and a hit batter, but scored three runs or less in a game for the 16th time this season.  Nathaniel Hudson singled with one out in the top of the first, but a double play quickly erased him.  In the second, Liam Conley doubled to left with one out, but the next two were retired by Huskies starter James Sinclair.  Leading 1-0 after Seymour's grounder to first in the first plated Vesosky, who tripled to start Southern Maine's offensive day, the hosts added two more in both the second and third innings to break the game open early.  Zach Mooers was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the second and, after a line out, an error on Colby Dexter's sacrifice bunt put two on.  Both scored when Vesosky and Seymour followed with base hits to make it 3-0.  A pair of two-out runs in the third widened KSC's deficit to 5-0, as Vesosky drove in two more, including Jonathan Wilson who walked to start the inning.

The Owls had chances early, but were held to just single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, getting only as close as 5-2.  In the third down three, Malik Pearson doubled to left center with one out and Wyatt Daft followed with a walk.  However, Sinclair struck out Hudson and then, on Beayon's single that found its way into right, Pearson was thrown out at the plate to keep KSC off the board.  The Owls loaded the bases in the fourth with one out thanks to singles by Joe Barter and Junior Santos before Mike Collins was hit by a pitch and this time did get a run, as Eli Oliver made it 5-1 with a sacrifice fly.  Daft walked and stole second to begin the fifth before scoring on a single by Beayon that drew Keene State within three (5-2), but that was as close as they got as Sinclair then sent down 11 of the next 12 batters.

Santos walked to start the ninth, but Seymour ran through the next three batters for his third save.

Brendan Muhs (2-5) got the start for the Owls and took the loss after allowing four earned runs and 10 hits in six innings.  He walked one and struck out five.

Sinclair improved to 4-4 after allowing two runs and eight hits in eight innings.  He walked two and struck out three.

Beayon finished 2-for-4 with an RBI out of the third spot in Keene State's lineup.  Conley and Pearson each doubled, while Daft was 1-for-2 and walked twice.

Vesosky was 3-for-5 with a triple and three RBI out of the top spot in Southern Maine's lineup.  Wilson and Mooers each had two hits, while Seymour drove in two as the Huskies outhit KSC 11-8.  The victory moved USM over the .500 mark for the first time since a 7-5, 10-inning win over Johns Hopkins University in their season opener.  They lost 12 of 15 after that game.

How It Happened – Game Two
The Owls had no answers for Joshua Joy on the mound in the second game, getting no-hit, and a five-run third inning proved to be plenty for Southern Maine to sweep KSC for the fifth consecutive time in a regular season doubleheader.  Joy (3-5) pitched nine innings for the first time in his five seasons, and generated a big highlight in a senior season that had otherwise been up-and-down, pitching to a 6.20 ERA in eight previous outings, including allowing 11 earned runs over his most recent 9.1 innings against Eastern Connecticut State University and the University of Massachusetts-Boston.  Today, he struck out a season-high and career-high tying 11 while also inducing a whopping 13 ground ball outs against an Owl lineup that was entirely shut down outside of three walks and three hit batters.  They put the ball in the air just two times, both foul outs.  Oliver was plunked with one out in the third of what remained a scoreless game before moving to second when Collins grounded back to the pitcher, but a strikeout ended the inning.  Keene State never had another runner in scoring position.  Conley walked with one down in the seventh, but Santos hit a 6-4-3 double play ball right after.

Phil Nichols pitched two scoreless innings to begin his day and then got Dexter to fly to center to begin the third, but things unraveled after that as Vesosky was hit by a pitch and Seymour followed to a two-run shot to right for a 2-0 lead.  He rebounded to retire Jason Komulainen for the second out, but the Huskies then recorded four consecutive hits – two for extra-bases – to score three more times for a 5-0 edge after three.

Nichols (1-5) wound up going five innings, allowing five runs and seven hits.  He walked two and struck out four.

The Owls were shut out for the fifth time this season, four coming in the last nine games, and have yet to win a game this year when scoring three or fewer runs (6-8 otherwise).  They are now hitting .214 as a team.

Seymour added a 3-for-4 showing with a double and a home run to his day while driving in three more runs.  Brogan Searle-Belanger also had three hits as USM ran their winning streak to six and prolonged KSC's losing streak to 10 straight.  

Around the Horn

• Daft worked three walks in the doubleheader (19 in 24 starts) and has reached base at by far a team-best .462 clip this season.
• The Owls have lost eight straight in the series, including six in a row in Gorham.  They have not beaten USM since the opening round of the Little East tournament in 2017.  They have two wins over Southern Maine since 2012.
• KSC's Little East tournament hopes are down to winning all three remaining games and receiving help from others to qualify.  They could squeeze themselves in by tying at 5-11 with certain teams, but are eliminated with one more loss or one more win by Western Connecticut State University and Plymouth State University.

Up Next

• The Owls finish the season with three home games, including Tuesday, May 3 against No. 2 Eastern Connecticut (32-3, 12-1 LEC) at 3:00 p.m.
• Southern Maine hosts a non-conference doubleheader against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (14-19-1, 9-8 NEWMAC) tomorrow.  First pitch is at 12:00 p.m.