PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore
Luke Sokolski (Weatherford, Conn.) homered for the fourth time in the last six games, but the University of Southern Maine won its ninth straight game, topping Plymouth State University 14-2 in Little East Conference (LEC) baseball action Tuesday at Parish Field.
Sokolski's two-run blast in the sixth accounted for the entirety of Plymouth State's offense, as Southern Maine scored in bunches with four in the third, two in the fourth, six in the fifth and another two in the seventh to close out the game.
Plymouth State falls to 14-22 (5-9 LEC), while the Huskies improve to 21-16 and 9-5 in the Little East.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 2, Southern Maine 14 (7 Inn.)
- Plymouth State (14-22, 5-9 LEC)
- Southern Maine (21-16, 9-5 LEC)
How it Happened:
- The Huskies put a four-spot on the board in the top of the third to break a scoreless tie.
- USM tacked on two more in the fourth, but senior Noah Wachter (Concord, N.H.) stranded a runner at third.
- Plymouth State hit some frozen ropes in the bottom of the inning, including a shot to straight away center field caught at the warning track off the bat of junior Griffin Crane (Lancaster, N.H.), but USM was able to track them down.
- Southern Maine erupted for six runs in the fifth, with the big damage coming on a grand slam, to push the lead to 12-0.
- Junior Braxton Brown (Lancaster, N.H.) struck out two in the top of the sixth and the Panthers got on the board in the bottom of the inning. Freshman Sam Malgeri (Stratham, N.H.) snuck a single through the right side to open the frame and Sokolski followed with his sixth long ball of the year deep to left center.
- The Huskies put the game away with two runs in the seventh and the Panthers couldn't rally in the bottom of the inning.
By the Numbers:
- PSU's offense was limited to five hits – Sokolski's dinger and singles from Crane, Malgeri and sophomores Jackson Curtis (Jefferson, N.H.) and Joshua Welsh (East Lyme, Conn.).
- Crane is riding a nine-game hitting streak during which he raised his season average from .229 to .302.
- Sokolski has hit in six straight games, posting a .407 average with 14 RBI during that streak.
- Wachter went the first four innings but came out on the losing end of the decision, while Brown struck out four over the last two innings.
Up Next:
- The Panthers close out the regular season with an important LEC twin bill against Rhode Island College on Friday (May 6). Game one is set for a noon start, with Senior Day festivities planned for between games.
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