South Portland - After the UNH women captured the softball postseason title, the baseball team followed in their footsteps as they defeated the SMCC Seawolves by a score of 9-4 in the NECA postseason championship game.
In the first game the Wildcats of UNH defeated the Golden Eagles of Eastern Maine CC by a score of 6-3. The Wildcats held onto a 4-0 lead entering the fourth inning when EMCC's Paul Forte scored to put the Eagles on the books and cut the lead to three runs. The Wildcats answered with two of their own, one off an RBI single from leftfielder Matt Grant that scored catcher Joey Gervolino and the other off an error by the Eagles third baseman. The Eagles put up two runs in the seventh but it was not enough to overcome the Wildcat lead.
Game two was a matchup between the Seawolves and the Lynx of NHTI. Seawolves' pitcher Dylan Morrow (Hays, TX) threw nine strikeouts, giving up only two hits and allowing one run. The Lynx led 1-0 going into the fourth inning when Seawolves' third baseman Sean Adams (Lebanon, ME) knocked in pinch runner Ian Boyle (Portland, ME) to knot the game at one run each. The Seawolves proceeded to score three runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to come away with the 7-1 win. Dylan Farrell-Reny (South Portland, ME) led the offense going two for three with a double and a two RBI single.
In the championship game between the Seawolves and the Wildcats, UNH scored five runs in the first inning and one in the second to take a commanding 6-0 lead. Both teams were quiet on offense until the sixth when Seawolves' shortstop Phillip Langley (Shawnee, OK) and centerfielder Alex Brown (Weymouth, MA) hit back to back RBI singles to send two runners across the plate and make the score 6-2 in favor of the Wildcats. UNH proceeded to score three more runs in the sixth to expand their lead to seven before the Seawolves' took their last at bat. SMCC's Justin Ciszewski (Auburn, ME) and Tucker Lee (Lexington, IL) crossed the plate in the seventh but the Wildcats were able to hold on and capture the postseason title.
The following players received honors for their performances today:
Outstanding Offensive Player - Justin Ciszewski (SMCC)
Outstanding Defensive Player - Colin Sullivan (UNH)
Tournament MVP - Jay Belinskas (UNH)
Southern Maine Community College empowers students to respond to a changing world and enhances economic and cultural development in Southern Maine by providing a variety of educational opportunities and partnerships.
