HARWICH, Mass. – Sophomore Matt Rogers (Portsmouth, RI) pitched four scoreless innings in relief and senior designated hitter Travis Schwamb (West Springfield, MA) had the game-winning hit as Western New England College outlasted Southern Maine 8-6 in 12 innings in the opening game of the 2008 NCAA Division III New England Regional Baseball Tournament Wednesday (May 14) at Whitehouse Field.

The fifth-seeded Golden Bears will meet top-seeded Trinity (a 9-5 winner over eighth-seeded Castleton State) in a winners' bracket game at 4:30 p.m. Thursday (May 15) in the double elimination tournament. The Bantams have a 38-0 record and are ranked third in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA)/baseball.com Division III Poll.

The WNEC-Southern Maine contest took three hours, 44 minutes to complete and featured 33 hits with 30 runners left on base. It was the Golden Bears' longest outing in 126 games dating back to a 9-7 win over Fitchburg State in 13 innings on March 14, 2006. 

This also was the 250th career victory for Western New England College coach Matt LaBranche.

WNEC (32-11) trailed 6-3 entering the ninth, but scored three times to send the game into extra innings. The Golden Bears banged out five of their 15 hits in the inning with sophomore second baseman Justin Walz (Groton, CT) and sophomore first baseman Joe Griglun (Southington, CT) each getting a key RBI single while senior shortstop Ryan Kravontka (Glastonbury, CT) tied the contest with a sacrifice fly.

The Golden Bears used two singles and a pair of walks to take the lead for good in the 12th with Schwamb (who was hitless in six prior at-bats) delivering his clutch hit for his team best 52nd RBI of the season. Griglun followed with a sacrifice fly for his third RBI of the day. He finished with three hits in the game.

Western New England College took a 2-0 lead in the third and led 3-1 in the top of the fifth before the Huskies plated four runs in their half of the inning for a 5-3 advantage.

Senior rightfielder Eddie Skeffington (Everett, MA) led off the fifth with a homer and added another blast leading off the seventh to give the Huskies a 6-3 lead. He finished with four hits in six appearances, but committed a pair of errors, one of which led to an unearned run in the third.

Rogers took the mound after Skeffington's second round-tripper and gave up only four hits with three strikeouts and a walk in picking up his fourth win of the season without a loss.

Senior Chris Anderson (Moodus, CT) pitched the final frame and gave up one hit with two strikeouts in gaining his third save of the year. 

Junior centerfielder Chris Newell (Wallingford, CT) went 4-for-5 with two runs for the Golden Bears while Walz enjoyed a 3-for-6 day at the plate with three runs and two RBI. 

Sophomore rightfielder Steve Kearney (Glastonbury, CT) had two hits in five at-bats with two runs and a RBI.

Southern Maine compiled 18 hits with sophomore second baseman Josh MacKay (Danvers, MA) also getting four hits along with a RBI. Junior centerfielder Ryan Pike (Saco, ME) chipped in with three hits, a run, and RBI. Sophomore Andrew deBethune (St. Albans, ME) suffered the loss in relief, his first in five decisions.

The fourth-seeded Huskies (32-13) will play Castleton (22-19) in an elimination game at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday.