By Kalle Oakes,Staff Writer

It was a score that couldn’t help but catch your eye, if you’ve followed NCAA Division III baseball in Maine for any length of time.

Bowdoin 10, Southern Maine 7.

True, the liberal arts college in Brunswick boasts a more enduring relationship with the national pastime than just about any institution at any level. Bowdoin played an exhibition against the team that eventually evolved into the Boston Red Sox back in September 1871 at Topsham Fairgrounds.

There hasn’t been much for the Polar Bears to growl about in recent years, but maybe Wednesday’s triumph over the Huskies and their national championship tradition symbolizes a rebirth. Seven local players play a role for a program that’s ranked fourth in New England and hopes to surpass last spring’s 24 victories and first-ever appearance in the NESCAC tournament.

Sophomore Nick Lawler and junior Jared Lemieux wield the weightiest bats for Bowdoin thus far.

Lawler, a shortstop from Auburn, belted his team-leading third home run of the campaign at USM’s expense. The Edward Little graduate also shares top billing for Bowdoin with 10 RBIs and is batting .308 after going 2-for-5 against the Huskies.

There’s been no pitching around Lemieux, even though foes have tried to the tune of a team-high 12 walks. As for the deliveries that wind up in his wheelhouse, the Maranacook product has 19 hits and is batting .514. The center fielder connected at a .571 clip with an on-base percentage of better than .700 during their Florida swing.

Bowdoin went 7-3 on the trip. The victory over USM halted a three-game losing streak.

Brothers Tyler and Ryan Turgeon, both veterans of the St. Dom’s program and the Gayton Post American Legion club, deepen Bowdoin’s pitching. Tyler, a sophomore, hasn’t allowed an earned run in three innings of relief, while freshman Ryan leads the staff with six appearances out of the bullpen.

Junior Erik Morrison of Gray and Pat Duchette, a freshman out of the well-schooled Oak Hill program, also pitch. Other days, Morrison wields the glove at first base and the outfield, hitting .241 with six RBIs.

Mike Buckley, a high school teammate of Lemieux, is the starting catcher as a sophomore.

Bowdoin is readying for a handful of upcoming games against local rivals. The University of Maine-Farmington visits April 21. Later, it’s a home-and-home series against Bates, with a single game in Lewiston on April 29 and a Brunswick twin bill the next day.

Two for the crew

Many multi-sport athletes leave the local high school scene and succeed in one endeavor at the collegiate level. It’s a much smaller sampling of performers who pick up an entirely new game or activity and win from the get-go.

As a freshman at William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y., Jenn Lever is enjoying the transition to a non-traditional spring sport. She shared the winning spotlight with eight other first-years as the Herons’ novice crew team won its first two races of the spring season.

That earned the team the Liberty League’s first Boat of the Week award of the campaign.

Lever’s squad recovered from a pair of collisions to outdistance the University of Rochester and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on March 26. The Herons handled the 1,600-meter distance in 5 minutes, 54 seconds.

The novice crew carried the day for William Smith on April 2, logging the team’s only race triumph. Neither Ithaca nor Marist finished within 30 seconds of the Herons, who navigated two kilometers in 7:52.