Leesburg, Fla. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball team earned a 4-2 victory over the University of Southern Maine Friday afternoon at Pat Thomas Stadium.  The Eagles, ranked eighth on the D3baseball.com and fifth on the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Collegiate Baseball Poll, improve to 5-3 on the season. The Huskies, receiving votes on D3baseball.com and ranked 25th in the ABCA Poll, drops to 0-1 on the season.

Caleb Boushley and Caleb Willems combined for the win on the pitching mound for UWL Friday. Boushley (2-1) earned the win, going 8.0 innings, allowing eight hits, two runs (one earned) and one walk with six strikeouts.  Willems picked up his third save of the season, pitching 1.0 inning, allowing one hit while striking out one.

Southern Maine took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning before UWL tied it in the bottom of the inning. Joel Zyhowski walked to start the inning, went to second on a ground out and advanced to third on a wild pitch. He then scored as Nate Roethle reached on a Huskies' error.

The Eagles tallied three runs in the bottom of the fifth to lead 4-1. UWL did not have a hit in the inning as Southern Maine committed one error and had three walks. Brennan Schmitt walked with the bases-loaded to score JJ Belknapp to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead.  Zyhowski and Connor Cook scored to make it 4-1 on Roethle's fielder's choice.

Southern Maine cut the lead to 4-2 in the top of the sixth, but left two runners on base to end the inning. The Huskies got a lead-off double in the top of the ninth before Willems retired the next three batters to end the game.

UWL was held to three hits with Zyhowski, Roethle and Belknapp each finishing with one. Zyhowski scored twice while Roethle had two RBI.

UWL returns to action Saturday, March 18 versus Benedictine University (Ill.) in Winter Haven, Florida at 11:30 a.m. (Central Time) to wrap up its spring trip.