MANSFIELD, Conn. – Senior left-handed pitcher Shawn Gilblair (Windham, Conn.) limited second-seeded University of Southern Maine to five hits and struck out 14 in seven innings and the Huskies commited five costly errors as top-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University posted a 7-2 win in an elimination game of the 2009 NCAA Division III New England Regional Tournament Friday evening at the Eastern Baseball Stadium.

Coming off a 6-0 loss to defending national champion and third-seeded Trinity College in the first game of the day, Southern Maine (36-9) becomes the fourth team to be eliminated in the original field of eight. The Warriors (37-7) advance to another elimination game Saturday at 11 a.m. against Husson University, which eliminated Babson College Friday. Friday’s late game featured the tournament’s two remaining unbeatens in Trinity and WPI, both 2-0.

In the 19th regional tournament meeting between the programs (Eastern Conn. leads the regional series, 11-8), Eastern Connecticut scored twice in the bottom of the first, and added three unearned runs in the fourth and two more unearned runs in the fifth. In those two innings, the Warriors recorded five hits and were helped by two errors, two walks and a hit batsman. Travis Bass (West Hartford, Conn.) drove in two runs in those innings with a single and sacrifice fly, Jim Schult (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) plated one with a double, John Parke (Middlefield, Conn.) had a sacrifice fly, and Andrew Magliola (East Haven, Conn.) was walked with the bases loaded to force in another run. With one out in the fourth, Andrew Dewing (Swampscott, Mass.) singled and Robert Perry (Manchester, Conn.) followed with a bunt single to ignite the rally.

Trailing 7-2 in the eighth, Southern Maine loaded the bases on a leadoff double by All-America Chris Burleson (Portland, Maine) and two walks, but second baseman Parke turned a double play after fielding a ground ball behind reliever left-handed reliever Wes Dutton (Waterbury, Conn.) to end the inning. The20Huskies loaded the bases again in the ninth against righty Matt Fontaine (Cranston, R.I.), but shortstop Bass’s flip to Parke covering just beat a sliding Burleson to end the game.

Gilblair (8-1), named the New England Player-of-the-Year earlier this week, had thrown seven innings to defeat Southern Maine in the Little East Conference tournament a week ago. He equaled his career-high strikeout total in this game. The national leader in strikeouts per game (13.7), Gilblair had 11 punchouts through the first five innings, striking out the side in the fourth and fifth. The two runs he allowed came on solo home runs by cleanup hitter Ryan Pike (Saco, Maine) – his team-leading 11th of the year - - leading off the second and by losing pitcher Collin Henry(Penobscot, Maine) leading off the seventh.

Bass had three of Eastern’s nine hits, Perry adding two. Perry and No. 9 hitter Joe Cousineau (Newington, Conn.) both scored twice.