HARWICH, Mass. – Endicott College will have one game against University of Southern Maine on Sunday afternoon for a chance to win the NCAA Division III New England Regional baseball tournament and earn a trip to the College World Series in Appleton, Wisconsin.
The #1 seeded Huskies (41-8) forced that if-necessary game with a 5-2 victory in Saturday's championship game, where the third seeded Gulls (35-13) needed just one win for the crown, as Endicott was the only undefeated team left in the double-elimination tournament.
The Gulls, who have already set a program record with 35 wins this season, had won seven straight and 16 of their last 17 games, including historic victories over St. Joseph's of Maine, Wheaton, and Southern Maine in their first three games at the 2013 regional, their fifth ever appearance at this event.
Endicott held a 2-0 lead in the game into the seventh inning, but Southern Maine tied the game with single runs in the seventh and eighth and took the lead when shortstop Sam Dexter (Oakland, Maine) hit a two-run home run to left field in the top of the ninth.
Catcher EJ Martinez (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was 2-for-2 in the game and gave Endicott a lead with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth that scored graduate student and left fielder Colin Sitarz (West Hartford, Conn.).
Starter Mike Nich (Orange, Conn.), a graduate student himself, gave Endicott a strong starting effort, holding the Huskies to one run over six and two-thirds innings. Nich allowed just five hits and collected three strikeouts, but did not figure into the decision.
The win went to Andrew Richards (South Portland, Maine), who turned in a five and two-thirds inning effort in relief for the Huskies. Just hours after pitching a complete game shutout in Southern Maine's elimination win over Western New England, Richards earned another win, improving to 9-2 by holding Endicott to one run on six hits and no walks, while recording four strikeouts.
The Gulls loaded the bases in the fourth inning with just one out when Sitarz led off with a double to left center and freshman third baseman Matthew Paola (Middlebury, Conn.) beat out a bunt for a single to put runners on the corners.
With one out, Paola, who was 2-for-4 in the game, stole second, forcing the Huskies to intentionally walk Eric Lemke (Southington, Conn.) to load the bases and set up the force play.
The Huskies went to their bullpen and Endicott pinch hitter EJ Martinez (Brooklyn, N.Y.) welcomed Richards with a sacrifice fly to foul territory in left field.
In the bottom of the sixth, Paola doubled the Endicott advantage in similar fashion when he led off with a double to deep left center. Paola advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Tad Gold (Martha's Vineyard, Mass.) and scored on the second sacrifice fly of the day, this one by Lemke.
The Huskies got on the board in the seventh when Jake Glauser (Goffstown, N.H.) singled to center field to bring home catcher Matt Verrier (Norway, Maine), who had led off the seventh with a walk.
Kevin Dupras (Belchertown, Mass.), who Endicott had gone to in relief of Nich, picked off Glauser to end the top of the seventh inning with the Gulls ahead 2-1.
Dupras would finish the final two and a third innings of the game and allow three earned runs on seven hits, falling to 3-2 on the year after being saddled with the loss.
In the top of the eight, the Huskies got singles from Dexter and Tucker White (Deerfield, N.H.) and Forest Chadwick (Gardiner, Maine).
Endicott looked to have something on with one out in the bottom of the eighth when Gold torched a ball to deep center field and chugged for third base but was cut down on a relay play by the Southern Maine combination of center fielder White, shortstop Dexter and third baseman Grady.
Grady, who was part of a trio of Huskies players with two hits that included Tucker White and Forest Chadwick from the three, four and five holes in their batting order, singled home first baseman John Carey (South Portland, Maine), who followed Dexter's home run with a single through the left side to add an insurance run in the ninth.
Southern Maine starter Tyler Leavitt (North Andover, Mass.) went three and a third innings and allowed three hits and four walks, with just one strikeout. Leavitt was charged with the one earned run on Martinez's sacrifice fly.
Dexter, who was 3-for-5 in the game with two runs scored, victimized the Gulls with the long ball for the second time this year, after homering twice in Southern Maine's 5-1 victory in Beverly during the regular season.
Sunday's game will be the fifth meeting this season between Endicott and Southern Maine, with the Gulls collecting their only win against the Huskies in Friday's winner bracket championship here in Harwich by an identical 5-2 score.
