FARMINGTON — The University of Maine at Farmington baseball team rode a pair of quality performances out of its top two pitchers on its way to a North Atlantic Conference doubleheader sweep of Thomas College, 9-0 and 6-3, on Thursday afternoon at Hippach Field.
UMaine-Farmington improved to 10-19 overall, the most wins for the program since a 12-17 mark in 2003. The Beavers also boosted their conference mark to 9-9, the most league wins since joining the NAC in 2003-04.
Thomas fell to 7-26 overall, 6-12 in conference play.
Junior righthander Joe Sullivan pitched the Beavers to the victory in game one, fanning five Terrier batters in a three-hit, complete game shutout. He improved his record to 4-2 with the win.
Sullivan got plenty of run support, including four runs in both the third and fourth innings. Sean Cabaniss singled home Grayson Beressi with one out in the third inning, and Dustin McCrossin laced a double into left center to score Cabaniss and Brett Wallingford. Jimmy Neal flew out to center field, plating McCrossin to give the Beavers a 4-0 lead.
Farmington doubled that lead in the fourth on four hits and two Terrier errors. Cabaniss drove in two of those runs with a one-out single into center field, scoring Wallingford and Trevor Hisler.
Cabaniss finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored and three runs batted in. McCrossin had two RBI in a 1-for-3 effort.
Thomas starter Tim Locke took the loss after allowing seven earned runs on seven hits.
In game two, the Beavers broke a 3-3 deadlock with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, all with two outs.
Wallingford started the rally by getting aboard with a two-out error, and moved around the bases on a walk issued to Hisler. Cabaniss reached on another Terrier error to load up the bases, and Thomas brought Isiah Fleming out of the bullpen to close out the inning.
McCrossin was the first batter Fleming faced, and he plated all three runners when he skyed a ball into left field that fell 10 feet off the line in fair territory. After a pair of walks, the Terriers brought in Taylor Bacon out of the pen, and he induced a fly ball to center field to get out of the inning.
UMaine-Farmington countered with Sullivan, the game one winner, in a relief appearance, and he retired the side to complete the sweep.
Kyle Peterson scattered four hits and struck out five Thomas batters in the win, improving to 3-2 on the season. Terrier starter CJ Pendleton, who was on the mound when all three Farmington base runners that scored in the sixth got aboard, was tagged with the loss.
Cabaniss was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI in game two, while McCrossin was 1-for-4 with three RBI.
Locke recorded a pair of hits for the Terriers in game two.
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