Free Press

Issue date: 4/28/08 Section: Sports

Sophomore Josh Mackey (Danvers, MA) attempts to turn a double play after tagging a runner out at 2nd base. The Huskies rallied to beat

The USM baseball team flexed their offensive muscles last week and picked up three non-conference wins before heading into the final stretch of conference play.

Led by juniors Anthony D'Alfonso (Westbrook) and Chris Burleson (Portland), the Huskies slugged their way to come-from-behind wins against Thomas and Endicott and coasted by Bates to move their overall record to 22-9 on the season.

The wins were crucial in maintaining momentum heading into double-headers against conference foes Keene State and UMass Boston over the weekend.

But that momentum could have been snapped, had it not been for the play of Burleson and D'Alfonso. Facing an early 1-5 deficit against Thomas, the two connected for a pair of home-runs to rally the Huskies into an 11-8 win.

In terms of advancing to play-offs, it wasn't necessarily an important win - it's the conference games that will earn the Huskies a higher seed in the tournament. But, Burleson said after the win against Thomas, "you can't slack off in these at-bats because they'll carry over to the conference games."

Judging by his output over the three game stretch, Burleson isn't slacking off. The former Deering High School standout ended the week at a 6-for-14 mark that included four home runs and eight RBIs, keeping his batting average at a red-hot .427 to lead the team.

"I've watched (Burleson) play since he was in Little League with my son and I've known that he has had the potential to dominate at this level," said coach Ed Flaherty. "He's definitely having a dominating season. He's playing a good shortstop for us too." Until this season, Burleson traditionally played centerfield.

Burleson's partner in crime, D'Alfonso, isn't slacking at the plate either. The Huskies' clean-up hitter provided a carbon-copy of Burleson's 6-for-14 campaign at the plate while contributing three home runs of his own to bring his season total to ten.

"Anthony is a presence in the middle of our line-up," said Flaherty. "He's the kind of player who can give you a couple of runs with the swing of a bat because he can hit the ball out of the yard."

The play of D'Alfonso and Burleson was also magnified by the injury bug that has plagued the Huskies throughout the season. With injuries nagging junior Andrew Stacy (Denmark) and sophomore Collin Henry (Penobscot), who both contribute on the mound, in the field and at the plate, the Huskies have had to get extra production from their leaders and key performances from elsewhere.

Continued...

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