GORHAM, Maine – Despite a strong start from junior Noah Wachter (Concord, N.H.) in the opener, Plymouth State University dropped a pair of games to nationally-ranked University of Southern Maine at Flaherty Field on Monday.
 
Wachter delivered seven strong innings in the first game and PSU scratched across a run in the top of the eighth to tie the game at 3-3, but the Huskies, ranked #22 in the latest D3baseball.com/NCBWA poll, rallied for five runs in the bottom of the inning to earn an 8-3 win. Game two was all USM as a slew of Huskies' pitchers limited PSU to six hits in an 11-0 win.
 
The first game counted as a Little East Conference (LEC) contest, while game two was considered a non-conference game. The two teams will meet again on Thursday (May 6) in Plymouth with the same setup.
 
Plymouth State ends the day with an 8-11 mark (4-8 LEC), while Southern Maine improves to 21-8 and 9-4 in league play.
 
The Basics:

• Game 1: Plymouth State 3, Southern Maine 8
• Game 2: Plymouth State 0, Southern Maine 11
  • Plymouth State (8-11, 4-8 LEC)
  • Southern Maine (21-8, 9-4 LEC)

 
How it Happened (Game One):

• Plymouth State wasted a leadoff triple by sophomore Griffin Crane (Lancaster, N.H.) in the second.
• USM took advantage of three PSU misplays in the third to take a 3-0 lead.
• The Panthers broke through in the seventh when junior Brody Fillion (Littleton, N.H.) followed senior Andrew Wasilefsky's (Willington, Conn.) single with a two-run shot to right centerfield to make it 3-2.
• Graduate student Andrew Salta (Laconia, N.H.) singled to open the eighth and a USM error put two runners on. After a fielder's choice, graduate student James Salta (Laconia, N.H.) lofted a sacrifice fly to center to tie the game.
• Southern Maine went back in front in the eighth using a triple and sacrifice fly to take the lead before tacking on four more runs.
• PSU loaded the bases in the top of the ninth but was unable to cut into the margin.

By the Numbers (Game One):

• Wachter struck out eight while scattering seven hits over his seven-plus innings. He allowed four runs, though just three were earned, but took the loss to fall to 1-2.
• Crane (triple, single) and A. Salta (two singles) had multi-hit games, while Crane also walked to reach base three times.
• Fillion drove in two.

 
How it Happened (Game Two):

• Freshman Luke Sokolski (Waterford, Conn.) led off the game with a base hit and with one out a hit batsman put two on, but the Huskies worked out of the inning.
• USM used two doubles and a walk to push across two runs in the bottom of the frame and added a single run in the second for a 3-0 lead.
• A. Salta singled to start the third. He stole second after a strikeout but was stranded as Crane's liner was caught and a groundout ended the inning.
• Both pitchers carved through the lineups until Southern Maine's half of the sixth as the home team scored six times.
• Trailing 10-0, Plymouth State put two runners on in the eighth with one away on singles by senior Peter Laviolette (Longboat Key, Fla.) and sophomore Alex Rives (Gilford, N.H.). With two down, Crane's walk loaded the bases but USM got a flyout to escape unscathed.
• A hit batter and singles from Wasilefsky and Laviolette loaded the bags in the top of the ninth, but again USM worked out of trouble.

By the Numbers (Game Two):

• Laviolette (2-for-4) had a pair of hits, but aside from singles by Sokolski, Wasilefsky, A. Salta and Rives the PSU offense was held at bay.
• Graduate student Mark Berryman (Lancaster, N.H.) was sharp over the first five innings, including retiring 10-straight hitters, before running into trouble in the sixth.

 
Up Next:

• The two teams square off again on Thursday (May 6) in Plymouth. Game one will count in the conference standings, while game two is set to be a non-conference contest.