Box Score

HARWICH, Mass. – Fourth-seeded Salem State University scored nine runs in the opening two innings on Thursday evening en-route to defeating top-seeded University of Southern Maine in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Division III New England Baseball Regional at Whitehouse Field.

With the win, the Vikings (27-13) will remain in the winner’s bracket and play tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. against the winner of tonight’s game between third-seeded Ramapo College and seventh-seeded Curry College. The Huskies (32-14) will take on Wesleyan in an elimination game tomorrow at 10 a.m.

On the way to a 2-for-5, five RBI performance, senior captain Ryan Beliveau (Lynn, Mass.) jump-started the Vikings in the top of the first. Already leading 1-0 after Southern Maine misplayed a force-play at home, Beliveau came up with the bases loaded and two outs and drilled a bases-clearing double to left-center field to extend Salem State’s lead to 4-0.

Salem State kept the momentum going in the second inning as junior Richard Fecteau (Newbury, Mass.) smacked a single down the right field line to drive in a pair of runs. Fecteau finished the day 3-for-5 with two runs and three RBI.

Following a sacrifice fly, Beliveau capped off the Vikings’ scoring burst with a two-RBI triple that gave Salem State a 9-0 margin.

In addition to Beliveau and Fecteau, sophomore Andrew Deloury (Andover, Mass.) went 3-for-4 with a double, a run, and a stolen base while senior Kevin Carens (Northborough, Mass.) went 3-for-5 with two runs and two stolen bases.

The Huskies pressured the Vikings in the top of the second as they loaded the bases, but were unable to push any runs across.

After junior right-handed pitcher Ryan Browner (Georgetown, Mass.) replaced left-handed senior Dan Kinnon (Londonderry, N.H.) in the bottom of the seventh, sophomore Teghan Malionek (Salem, Mass.) scored the tenth run for the Vikings on a Fecteau infield hit.

The Huskies pushed one across the board in the top of the eighth, as sophomore Damon Wallace (Gorham, Maine) doubled to left field and eventually reached home on a sacrifice fly from Sam Dexter (Oakland, Maine).

Sophomore right-hander Mike Richardson (Belmont, Mass.) kept the Huskies’ potent offense at bay for much of the afternoon, allowing just five hits over eight innings and striking out four in the win.

Junior left-hander Tyler Leavitt (North Andover, Mass.) took the loss for Southern Maine, falling to 5-2 on the season.

Sophomore Matt Bender (Walpole, Mass.) was the lone repeat hitter for the Huskies, going 2-for-4 on a pair of base-knocks up the middle.