USM heads to elimination game

MANSFIELD, Conn. -- Trinity ace Jeremiah Bayer blanked the University of Southern Maine at the plate to earn a 6-0 win Friday morning at Eastern Baseball Stadium.

The Huskies will now face rival Eastern Connecticut at 4:30 p.m. in an elimination game at the NCAA Division III New England Regional.

USM had just seven hits off of Bayer and had runners in scoring position just three times.

“He had a nice cutter.  He had all of his pitches working,” said USM leftfielder Anthony D’Alfonso, who went 2-for-4. “We were one or two hits away but they got a couple of big two-out innings.”

The Bantams scored a run in the fifth, two in the sixth and three more in the eighth to give Tim Therrian (9-1) his first loss of the season. The runs in the sixth and eighth each came with two outs.

Bayer, now 11-0, also got USM to hit into three double plays.

“He pitched as good a game as I’ve seen,” said USM Coach Ed Flaherty. “His breaking pitch, he threw consistently away from our right handed batters. We knew it and we still couldn’t hit it. And you’ve got to respect his fastball at all times.”

The Huskies are anticipating facing Eastern Connecticut’s ace Shawn Gilblair, a lefty, in their 4:30 p.m. game.

The Huskies have gone 1-1 against him this season - Gilblair taking the win last weekend in the Little East tournament.

“Tough day,” said Flaherty. “He’s the next best kid in new England.”

The Huskies threatened in the first inning, loading the bases with a two-out walk-single-walk sequence, but Ryan Pike popped out to center to end the inning.

“The guy on the bump did a great job for us,” said Trinity Coach Bill Decker.

Said Bayer: “They’re a tough lineup. Good at the plate, a lot of discipline. . .They were one hit away (in the first) but I was able to settle down.”

Former Deering standout Ryan Piacentini plays second base for Trinity, and went 1-for-3 with a walk against USM.

Piacentini is still tight with several USM players, but said with Bayer on the mound, he was not worried that the Huskies would be able to hit as usual.

“With Jeremiah on the mound he can shut anybody down,” said Piacentini.

USM threatened with two outs and runners on the corners in the seventh, but Bayer got Mike Eaton to strikeout to end the inning.