BB: LEC: Little East Conference

[Jcon2134]

Here is a Umass Boston update they are 4-4 after there AZ trip. The sad thing is they could be 7-1 they lost a extra inning game to williams in which they had more than enough chances to win the game. They then cough up a 4-0 lead to Buena vista college and ended up losing 16-12. Then on the last day they lost to Augsburg college 2-1 and the winning run was scored on an error. They had a good tip but it could have been a whole hell of alot better. There only game that they really should have had an bussiness losing was the one againist Wheaton.

And on the Nick Conway front he started 2 games and is 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA 

[RedDevils36]

USM starts at 3-0...


Swept Albright  (20-2; 5-4) and beat Gustavus Adolphis 8-6 yesterday.  Getting good production from young guys early.

[wordsmith]

USM starts at 3-0...


Swept Albright  (20-2; 5-4) and beat Gustavus Adolphis 8-6 yesterday.  Getting good production from young guys early.

Interesting comment about USM. All the Pre-season talk was they returned 7 or 8 positional starters, but it looks like a couple of positional spots are being filled by freshmen.

[Jcon2134]

Southern Maine is going to be a very good team this year the way that they can hit is unreal.

[wordsmith]

So. Maine beat Williams 7-5. USM headed for #1 in the nation.

[kscer]

USM #2? Long season coming up. Let's see what happens against Middlebury before we hand them the baton. I think they have a good team, but lets see what happens to their defense once league play starts.

[363dp]

kscer, I have to agree that it is a little early to predict a #1 ranking. Their defense and young pitching will get tested. They are getting contributions from a number of new players. Can the rookies maintain for another 25-30 games? It will be interesting.

[Jim Dixon]

[Interesting comment about USM. All the Pre-season talk was they returned 7 or 8 positional starters, but it looks like a couple of positional spots are being filled by freshmen.

I guess is that several freshmen played their way into starting roles.  This only makes a case for the strength of Southern Maine.

I am not sure I see Southern Maine as #1.  They are in  my top 10 with Wooster, Chapman, George Fox and Texas-Tyler (not in any particular order)

[Jcon2134]

I agree with everything that is being said lets wait till USM gets into conference play before we crown them anything near #1.

[wordsmith]

Middle-"buried" the Huskies today 14-7. Can't be #1 in the Nation if you're not even #1 in NE.

Ed is kicking coolers and air mailing clipboards.

Xtra laps tonight boys.

[kscer]

[Interesting comment about USM. All the Pre-season talk was they returned 7 or 8 positional starters, but it looks like a couple of positional spots are being filled by freshmen.

I guess is that several freshmen played their way into starting roles.  This only makes a case for the strength of Southern Maine.

I understand what you are saying here, but if they are displacing "adequate" seniors ( who have played contributing roles for the last two years, but maybe not star quality) then I think that's wrong. In my world the seniors earn a position and you use the rookie star wherever you can until tournament time. It's gotta send a message to recruits about how they may be treated.

[wordsmith]

WOW The ABCA Poll is out. Figure this out. Wheaton goes 6-5 and falls from 2nd to 11th.

So. Maine goes 4-0 (at the time of the poll) and they drop from 11th to 15th.

AND... Western New England goes 5-4 and only drops 2 spots from 21st to 23rd.

Go figure. When all else fails flip a coin.

[RedDevils36]

Southern Maine Defeats UW-Whitewater 11-9 and M.I.T. 11-5

     CHANDLER, Ariz.  --  The University of Southern Maine Huskies pounded out
32 hits and scored 22 runs to win the final two games on their eight-game
Arizona trip, defeating the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks 11-9 and
the M.I.T. Engineers 11-5, to return home with a 6-2 record.
     In the first game, the Huskies jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first two
innings before the Warhawks closed within one, 5-4, in the fourth.  The Huskies
expanded their lead to 11-5 after seven before hanging on over the final two
innings.
     Sophomore Chris Burleson (Portland, Maine/Deering) and senior Max Arsenault
(Boothbay, Maine) paced the Huskies' 15-hit attack with four hits apiece. 
Junior pitcher Adam Ross (Spruce Harbor, Maine/Rockland), who came on in relief
in the fifth, picked up the win.
     Leading 5-4, the Huskies got back-to-back home runs from freshman Collin
Henry (Penobscot, Maine/George Stevens Academy), a two-run shot, and sophomore
Ryan Pike (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) in the fifth to go up 8-4.
     After UWW got one run back in its half of the seventh, the Huskies tallied
three in the home half on Burleson's three-run homer.
     UWW scored twice in the eighth, and two unearned markers in the ninth to
pull within 11-9, but sophomore Tim Therrian (New Portland, Maine/Carrabec), who
came on the in seventh, stranded the tying runs by striking out the final
batter.
     Junior Thomas Corcoran (Rochester, Minn.) led UWW's 15-hit offense with
three hits.  Freshman starter Tony Wong (Appleton, Wis.) took the loss.
     Against M.I.T., the Huskies erased a 3-0 deficit with four runs in the
fifth inning.  After falling behind 5-4 in the sixth, the Huskies scored seven
times in the seventh to take the decision.
     Trailing 3-0 into the fifth, struck quickly for four runs on a pair of two-
run homers by senior Ryan Bourque (Sanford, Maine) and junior Eddie Skeffington
(Everett, Mass.).
     M.I.T. regained the lead in the sixth on a two-run double by senior Jason
Witzberger (Wheeling, W. Va.).
     The Huskies combined six extra base hits, a walk and an infield error to
score seven times in the seventh to take the lead for good.  Bourque drove in a
pair of runs with a double.
     Sophomore pitcher Andrew Stacy (Denmark, Maine/Fryeburg Academy) went the
first six innings to collect his first win of the season.  Skeffington and
sophomore Ryan Gaffney (Salem, N.H./Central Catholic) each had three hits to
lead the 17-hit attack.
     Junior Rich Kosoglow (Sunnyville, Calif.), the second of three M.I.T.
pitchers, was saddled with the loss.  Witzberger and sophomore Steven Nunez
(Tulare, Calif.) each had three hits.
     Southern Maine opens its Little East Conference schedule this Saturday
(12:00 p.m.) with a doubleheader at Western Connecticut State University.

At Chandler, Ariz.              123  456  789     R  H  E
Wisconsin-Whitewater  (6-5)     002  200  122     9 15  2
Southern Maine  (5-2)           320  030  30x    11 15  1
Batteries:  WW, Tony Wong, Greg Donovan (3), Mike Kenseth (6), Kale Olson (8)
and Matt Schliewe.     SM, Joe Curran, Adam Ross (5), Tim Therrian (7) and Joe
McGhee, Jordan Yanni (7), Stefan Black (9).
Winning Pitcher:  Ross (1-0)     Save:  Therrian (3)     Losing Pitcher:  Wong
2B:  WW, Prather, J. Donovan, Corcoran, T. Donovan, DeLong, Harder
     SM, Burleson, Bourque
3B:  none         
HR:  SM, Chris Burleson (1), Collin Henry (2), Ryan Pike (1)
RBI: WW, DeLong 3, Prather, J. Donovan, Zalnis, B. Johnson
     SM, Burleson 3, Bourque 2, Arsenault 2, Henry 2, Pike.
Repeat Hitters:  WW, Corcoran 3, Zalnis, T. Donovan, DeLong, Harder
     SM, Burleson 4, Arsenault 4, Bourque, Kinslow.

At Chandler, Ariz.        123  456  789     R  H  E
Southern Maine  (6-2)     000  040  700    11 17  1
M.I.T.  (2-2)             201  002  000     5 12  3
Batteries: SM, Andrew Stacy, Pat Foley (7), Matt Nickerson (9) and Jordan Yanni,
Stefan Black (8).     MIT, Matt Loper, Rich Kosoglow (6), Mike Vasquez (7) and
Steven Nunez.
Winning Pitcher:  Stacy (1-0)     Save: none     Losing Pitcher:  Kosoglow
2B:  SM, Gaffney 2, Burleson 2, Skeffington, Henry, Bourque
     MIT, Witzberger, Martinez
3B:  SM, Mackey     MIT, Nunez         
HR:  SM, Ryan Bourque (2), Eddie Skeffington (2)
RBI: SM, Bourque 4, Skeffington 2, Burleson, Henry, Mackey, Gaffney
     MIT, Witzberger 2, Park, Nole.
Repeat Hitters:  SM, Skeffington 3, Gaffney 3, Burleson, Bourque, Mackey
     MIT, Witzberger 3, Nunez 3, Nole, Park

[soxfan42585]

Burleson has the best curveball around- and the game to match.  There are some quality arms on the team- but overall their staff is questionable.  Pitching is what wins championships.

Word- SPOT ON with that call about flaherty after the middle"buried" game- HAHAHA

[RedDevils36]

I find it interesting that Armandi and Sam Handy have barely thrown (Handy came in to face one batter and walked him).

I know Armandi's had arm trouble in the past, but these are two arms that have seen innings in the past.  Interesting that it's mostly freshmen pitching. 

Give Schmidt a year of development and adaptation to the college hitters, and he will be VERY effective.  Has the ability to hold runners very close and get 1-2 pickoffs per game.  Adds a whole other element to his game.