HARWICH, Mass. — Logan Carman pitched his second shutout in five days and the University of Southern Maine beat Endicott College 9-0 Sunday to win the NCAA Division III New England baseball tournament and advance to next weekend’s national tournament.
The championship tournament appearance will be USM’s seventh in the 28-year coaching career of Ed Flaherty. The Huskies have won two national baseball titles in 1991 and 1997.
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Carman allowed seven hits, four in the first two innings before retiring 14 of the next 15 batters. He was sitting on a 4-0 lead before USM scored five times in the top of the ninth.
“I had a problem with my location in the first two innings,” said Carman, a junior left-hander from Newfields, N.H. “When I got good location on my curve ball everything fell into place.”
Carman opened the double-elimination tournament on Wednesday for USM, throwing a three-hit shutout in the win over Daniel Webster College.
Nick Grady scored the winning run – USM’s first run – in the second inning. He led off with a single. A wild pitch, infield out and a second wild pitch got him home. He led off the fourth inning with another single and after a sacrifice bunt and infield single, scored on Anthony Pisani’s bloop single down the right-field line.
The two hits upped Grady’s single season total to 89, breaking a 22-year-old record held by Bob Prince, USM’s three-time All-American outfielder and until two years ago, Grady’s hitting coach.
Grady, the senior third baseman from Whitefield and Erskine Academy, added a two-run double in the ninth.
“I wasn’t keeping a countdown,” said Grady. “I kinda knew, but I wasn’t paying attention today. Hopefully I’ll add to it.”
Carman set a school record with his 12th victory of the season, breaking another 22-year-old mark. Rob Aceto of Cape Elizabeth held the previous record of 11 set in 1991 when USM won its first championship.
Carman and freshman shortstop Sam Dexter (Oakland, Messalonskee High) were named to the all-tournament team. Andrew Richards, the sophomore right-handed pitcher from South Portland, was named the tournament’s most outstanding player for Saturday’s two-win performance.
USM lost to Endicott on Friday in a game between the last two unbeaten teams in the tournament. USM needed to win three straight games to win the tournament.
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