Curt Smith batted .435 in the playoffs with nine runs scored and three RBI

Aug. 13, 2007

ORONO, Maine-- University of Maine baseball players Curt Smith (Willemstad, Curacao), Billy Cather (Worcester, Mass.), Alejandro Balsinde (Miami, Fla.) and Mike Powers (Portland, Maine) led the Vermont Mountaineers to their second straight New England Collegiate Baseball League Championship this summer. The Mountaineers finished the regular season 24-18 and rolled through the playoffs with a perfect 6-0 record.

The Mountaineers swept best-of-three series with Keene, Holyoke and Newport. Curt Smith hit a walk-off home run in the second game of the series against Holyoke to propel the Mountaineers into their third-straight Championship series.

Smith hit .435 in the playoffs with nine runs scored, which tied for the team-lead, and three RBI. He hit a pair of home runs in the playoffs. His 10 hits were a team-high in the playoffs along with his four doubles. He had a team-best .870 slugging percentage with a .536 on-base percentage. During the regular season, Smith, one of the most feared batters in the NECBL, hit .313 with 29 runs scored and 24 RBI. He had 10 doubles, four triples and four home runs. He stole seven bases on the season.

Cather hit .273 in the playoffs with a pair of runs scored and one RBI. He batted .262 in the regular season with seven runs scored and seven RBI. He had three doubles on the campaign.

Balsinde saw action in one game in the playoffs and pitched a scoreless inning. During the season, he tied for the team-lead with 14 appearances on the mound. He was 2-1 with a 3.31 ERA. Balsinde recorded a pair of saves in 32.2 innings pitched.

Powers appeared in one playoff game for the Mountaineers. During the regular season, he finished 4-2 with a 2.70 ERA. His four wins tied for the team-lead. He saw action in 13 games, making six starts. Powers struck out 31 batters on the season, with opponents batting just .233 against him.

-U-M-