April 21, 2010
Box Score
Zac Roy (Lowell, MA) didn't enter the game until the 11th inning, but he made the most of his opportunity with a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 14th inning to defeat Concordia (22-20), 4-3. With the win, UMass Lowell baseball (22-18) improves to 5-1 in 2010 when playing bonus baseball.
The River Hawks jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the third inning. After Felix Martinez (Miami, FL) drew a lead-off walk, he stole second base to get into scoring position. Martinez moved over on the ground out and was driven home by Luke Wallace (Yorktown Heights, NY). The inning continued a few batters later as Sean Burns (Colchester, VT) was knocked home on a RBI double by Cam Kneeland (Rowley, MA).
The Clippers quickly tied the game back up in the top of the fourth, starting with a RBI double to left field by TJ Walsh (Eastchester, NY). With Walsh on second, a broken bat ball back to the pitcher resulted in another run when starter Ted Haley's (Cranston, RI) throw sailed over the first baseman's head.
As the two teams battled into extra frames, Concordia appeared to gain an edge in the top of the 13th inning. After nabbing a single and a walk to start the inning, Donnie Roth (Congers, NY) delivered a one-out base hit into right field to push the score to 3-2 in the Clippers' favor.
The River Hawks refused to quit as they drove across a run of their own in the bottom of the 13th. Wallace caught the defense sleeping with a perfectly placed bunt single to lead off the inning. Burns laid down a sacrifice bunt in the next at bat and the speedy Wallace rounded second and slid head-first into third base, just beating the throw. With one out, Kneeland came through with a line drive single into left-center to bring home Wallace and tie the game at 3-3.
UMass Lowell finally put the game to rest as the former Lowell High School standout, Roy, hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 14th inning. Mark Sanborn (Hopkinton, MA) led off with a double to left field and then advanced to third on a passed ball. With the both the infield and outfield in, Roy delivered a looping single that passed just inches over the leaping shortstop's glove to send the crowd into a frenzy as the River Hawks celebrated their 4-3 victory.
Despite the brief trouble in the fourth inning, Haley submitted a dominate performance on the mound. The right-hander allowed two runs, one earned, while striking out nine batters over eight innings. In addition, Haley held Concordia to just five hits.
Jeffrey Maloney (Haverhill, MA) got one out before Matt Monico (Tewksbury, MA) took over midway through the ninth and pitched to the 12th inning. Tyler Toyfair (Agawam, MA) toed the rubber in the 13th and allowed his first run of the season, but Bryant Guilmette (Hopkinton, MA) threw a scoreless 14th inning to earn the victory.
With today's win in its pocket, UMass Lowell will prepare for two games with Pace University on Saturday afternoon at LeLacheur Park. First pitch of the double-header is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
