LEWISTON, Maine -- Junior captain Keagan Ryan delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly and the Bates baseball team defeated the University of Southern Maine by a score of 8-7 Sunday afternoon at Leahey Field.

The Bobcats (20-10) trailed by as many as four runs late in the contest before they rallied for the win. With the victory, Bates reached the 20-win mark in a season for the fifth time in program history and the first time since 2014.

Trailing 7-5 entering the bottom of the ninth, Bates struck quickly against USM reliever Jack Bruno (1-2) when junior Henry Prince (McLean, Va.) launched his team-leading fourth home run of the season. One out later, sophomore David Swift (Yarmouth, Maine) reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. First-year Brady Thompson (Newark, Del.) drew a walk and the Bobcats sent up junior Luke Yoon (Honolulu, Hawaii) as a pinch hitter. Yoon came up huge, breaking an 0-11 slump with a double to left. Swift scored on the play and Thompson advanced to third.

With the game now tied at seven, the Huskies (25-8) opted to intentionally walk senior Joe Yoxall (Dallas, Texas) to load the bases with still just one out. Ryan (Salem, N.H.) stepped to the plate and greeted new pitcher Charlie Hudson with a deep fly ball to left. The ball was caught but it was plenty deep to score Thompson and the Bobcats celebrated their first win at home over USM since 1988.

Sunday's game featured a number of key swings as the two evenly-matched teams went toe-to-toe all afternoon. 

Swift got the Bobcats on the board first in the bottom of the second when he went opposite field for his third home run of the season. Bates added to their lead in the bottom of the third as Ryan reached on a one-out single. He stole second and advanced to third on a ground out. Senior Gibby Sullivan (Yarmouth, Maine) drew a walk and Prince ripped a ball into the left-center gap that scored Ryan. Prince got thrown out at second trying to stretch his hit into a double, but the Bobcats still led 2-0 through three.

Junior Nolan Hobbs (South Portland, Maine) tossed three shutout innings to begin the contest before USM got to him in the fourth. Kyle Douin hit a solo home run to lead off the inning, cutting the Bates lead in half. Peter Keblinsky followed with a double and Caleb Vacchiano drew a walk. Ball four was a wild pitch and Keblinsky advanced to third. A Drew Scialdone RBI grounder tied the game at two and the Huskies took the lead on a two-out RBI single from Kaiden Morin.

Hobbs finished his outing on a strong note though, retiring the Huskies in order in the fifth. 

Sophomore Charlie Bushley (Cohasset, Mass.) entered the game out of the bullpen in the sixth and USM was able to pick up an insurance run on an infield single, a walk, and a Chris Quigley two-out RBI single. 

The Huskies threatened to increase their lead in the seventh, loading the bases with one out. But Bushley got Scialdone to hit into a 6-4-3 double play, keeping USM off the board.

Down 4-2, the Bobcats got one back in the bottom of the seventh. Ryan tripled to dead center to start the frame and senior Jack Margiloff (Rye, N.Y.) drove him in with an RBI groundout to short. 

The Huskies appeared to have put the game out of reach when they scored three times in the top of the eighth. Mike Anquillare and Morin started the frame with back-to-back singles. Quigley bunted the runners over and Hunter Brisette singled them both home. Carter Higgins and Douin followed with singles of their own and the Huskies led 7-3. With runners at the corners and one out, Bushley got Keblinsky to hit into an inning-ending double play, avoiding further damage. 

With one out in the bottom of the eighth, Swift got hit by a pitch. A ground out moved him up 90 feet and sophomore Max Dushney (Ashland, Mass.) drew a walk. Yoxall got hit by a pitch, loading the bases for Ryan. Ryan also got hit by a pitch and the Bobcats trailed 7-4. A Margiloff infield single plated another run, but Bates left the bases loaded in the frame.

Sophomore Charlie Cariello (Bedford, N.H.) replaced Bushley to start the top of the ninth with Bates trailing 7-5. A Bobcat error immediately got Bates in trouble, but remarkably, the Bobcats turned a double play for the third straight inning to erase the runner. Cariello (1-1) got the next batter to ground out, ending the inning and setting up the dramatic rally.

Ryan and Swift tallied three hits apiece for Bates, as the Bobcats got out-hit 13-10 in the contest. However, the Bobcats took advantage of seven walks and four hit-by-pitches. Ryan, Margiloff, and Prince all drove in two runs apiece for Bates.

The Bobcats wrap up the 2026 campaign on Tuesday when they visit Husson for a 3:30 p.m. first pitch.