The PSU Baseball team had a rocky day this past Sat. April 19, as they fell to the University of Southern Maine Huskies in the Little East Conference double header. The Panthers lost the first game 20-5, and did not fare better in the second game, losing 11-2.
USM hit two home runs and scored seven runs total in just the first three innings alone of the first game. PSU outfielder Nick Englert made an excellent throw home to save a run and move the Panthers to the bat where he would hit a triple, bringing in John Pogorzelski. Englert also scored a run off of Josh Roberti’s single.
In the fourth inning Joey Brayton came in to relieve Taylor Ketchum. The boys would have a good inning and only let one player cross home plate. Roberti had a diving catch, getting the Panthers out o a jam and putting the Huskies back on the field. Brandon Hodge then hit a home run for PSU, making it his fourth of the season.
PSU junior, Ryan Hannon, came in to pitch after a three run homer was hit by the Huskies in the fifth inning. Hannon went strong for the first few innings, only letting up two runs in the fifth and two in the eighth. He also shut them out in the sixth and seventh making it the first zero on the board for the Huskies. Hannon said after the game, “We have the mentality to beat any team in our division, and when we go out there our job is to get us in as quickly as possibly giving the offense momentum to start off the inning.” First year, Mike Moody, came in to relieve Hannon in the eighth inning. By the end of this inning the Huskies would have 20 runs on the board. Kevin Levandowski brought in a run in the eighth inning to put the Panthers at four runs. USM was shut out again in the ninth inning while PSU came back with their last run of the game. Matt Koban had a base hit to center field bringing in Englert and putting the score at 20-5.
In the second contest, senior Chip Hale pitched a good game until he was taken out in the seventh. Hale didn’t let in any runs in the first, third and fourth innings. He also made some plays happen out on the field. First year, Seth Labossiere, had a hard hit over the shortstop’s head to bring in Grant Livingston for the first run of the game.
Hale let up four runs in the second inning putting the Huskies up by three runs. In the third inning Livingston and Levandowski had a nice play at second for the out. Labossiere would then have another hit to bring in Levandowski for another run, but it would unfortunately be their last. Labossiere continued his hot streak in the fourth inning when he ran in from third and flipped the ball to first for an out. Jim Van Gyzen would follow this momentum with a diving stop that he threw to first base where Hale was waiting for the out.
Hale would let up his last two runs of the game in the sixth before Ryan Lavelle came in to relieve him in the seventh inning. Lavelle would then let up three runs and Justin Flanagan would come in to relieve him in the eighth. Flanagan let up zero runs but coach Dennis McManus still took him out in the ninth inning when Chris Welch would take his place and close the game. Welch would only allow one Husky on base off a hit while one walked and the last would be out before he made it to first base. One more run was scored this inning which would be the last one scored of the doubleheader.
The Panthers have had a hard 2008 season, playing 26 games total but only one at home. The Panthers will host a double-header against UMass Boston on Sat. April 26, starting at 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Because of a schedule change, PSU will also host a double-header against Norwich University on Sun. April 27. Game times will be 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.