LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates College baseball team outhit the visiting University of Southern Maine Huskies 11-10, including a pair of home runs by Ryan McCarthy (Plaistow, N.H.), but No. 18 nationally ranked USM took advantage of six Bates errors in a 9-5 non-league victory Thursday at Leahey Field.

Bates (10-17) lost its fifth straight while USM (22-10) won for the fourth time in five games.

Huskies starter Jack Donnelly (3-1) went 5 2/3 innings and gave up four runs in earning the victory. Ryan Browner, Dan Kinnon and Jake Dexter combined to allow one unearned run over 3 1/3 innings of relief.

Bates trotted out nine pitchers in the game, with the first two, first-year Brendan Smith (Hingham, Mass.) and sophomore Andrew Freeman (Newton, Mass.), the only ones to go more than an inning, at two apiece. Freeman allowed three runs (two earned) in the loss on only two hits, including a two-run home run by Nick Bowie in the fifth, which put USM ahead for good. 

After the homer, the Huskies added an unearned run in the inning. Kyle O'Connor was hit by a pitch with two outs, moved to second on a wild pitch, then took third and scored as Brandon Martins reached on an error for a 5-2 USM lead.

Bates closed the gap to 5-4 in the bottom of the fourth on McCarthy's second homer of both the game and the season. Junior John Dinucci (West Hartford, Conn.) drew a two-out walk and McCarthy drove him home with a fly ball over the fence in left. McCarthy led off the bottom of the first with another homer to left, this one bouncing off the top of the fence and over.

USM added a run to its lead in the fifth, with Paul McDonough reaching on an error, advancing to second on Sam Stauble's walk, reaching third when Bates turned a 4-6-3 double play, then coming home on Nick DiBiase's single up the middle.

The Huskies turned their 6-4 lead into a 9-4 advantage in the seventh, with Sam Dexter and McDonough leading it off with back-to-back walks. Stauble's single through the left side scored Dexter, and Kip Richard followed with a single to right, scoring McDonough. Bates sophomore Connor Russell (Cumberland, Maine) struck out Bowie, but the Huskies executed a delayed double steal on the play, with Stauble scoring to make it 9-4.

Bates got a run back in the eighth. Senior Evan Czopek (Portland, Ore.), a mid-game replacement who doubled in his first at-bat, hit a leadoff single to left. First-year pinch hitter Daniel Trulli (Melrose, Mass.) followed with a single. Sophomore Reed Mszar (Manassas, Va.) then reached on a fielder's choice as a Husky throwing error failed to get the out at second and sailed into right field, allowing Czopek to continue home for the run.

Bates begins a three-game NESCAC East Division series against Colby on Friday at 3pm as the Bobcats celebrate Senior Day. USM will next play a Little East doubleheader at Keene State on Saturday at noon.