SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The University of Southern Maine baseball team’s season came to a close one game shy of a trip to NCAA Division III College World Series Sunday evening as the Huskies were defeated by the SUNY Oswego Lakers 9-4 in the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Division III New York Regional Tournament played at Onondaga Community College.

The Huskies came into Sunday’s final day of the tournament needing to defeat the Lakers twice to win the title.  Sophomore Zach Quintal (Eliot, Maine/Marshwood) hit a two-run homer in the top of the 9th to give the Huskies a 7-6, come-from behind win to force the “if necessary” game.

Oswego jumped on the exhausted USM pitching staff in the first two innings to build a 4-1 lead, and increased the margin to 8-3 by the fifth inning.  Southern Maine used eight pitchers in the game.

The Lakers outhit the Huskies 14-8 in the game.  Tournament most valuable player, Oswego senior Eric Hamilton (Liverpool, N.Y.) went 5 for 5, including two double, with two RBI.  Senior Zach Kollar (Endwell, N.Y.) had three hits and an RBI, and senior Wes Randall (Syracuse, N.Y.) had two hits and two RBI.

Junior Brad Wroblewski (Lockport, N.Y.) picked up the win in relief, and junior Reston Pettit (Bolivar, N.Y.) earned a save pitching 3 2/3 innings of shutout relief.  Pettit came on in the sixth inning and retired the first nine batters he faced.

Freshman Andrew Olszak (Danvers, Mass.) led the Huskies offense with three hits. Rookie Dylan Hapworth (Winslow, Maine) and sophomore Devin Warren (Smithfield, Maine/Messalonskee) had two hits apiece.  Senior left-hander Tyler Leavitt (North Andover, Mass.) pitching on one day’s rest, lasted one-third of an inning and was tagged with the loss.

Southern Maine finishes the season 34-13 overall.  SUNY Oswego heads to the Division III World Series with a 32-9 mark.