March 12, 2011
Box Score
The The River Hawk baseball club kicked off its annual Florida trip in style, securing a walk-off win over Dowling College, 2-1, in the bottom of the 18th inning. The win marked the longest game in program history.
Originally scheduled as a double-header, the afternoon game was canceled following the extended play in the opener. UMass Lowell has now won five consecutive games and sits at 5-1 overall. The Golden Lions fall to 2-8 with the loss.
Jack Leathersich (Beverly, Mass.) started on the mound for the River Hawks, pitching six innings and allowing just one unearned run. The left hander struck out nine, allowed seven hits and walked two.
Facing a 1-0 deficit, UMass Lowell got the run back in the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly by Cam Kneeland (Rowley, Mass.) to bring home Sean Burns (Colchester, Vt.).
The game would then turn into a stalemate for the next 10 innings as the River Hawks used seven total pitchers. Dallas Nunes (Easton, Mass.) did the bulk of the work, tossing five scoreless frames while allowing only two hits.
Dowling nearly stole the victory in the top of the 17th inning after Andrew Abreu (Lake Grove, N.Y.) led off with a walk. The Golden Lions then bunted Abreu over, putting a runner in scoring position with one out. Dowling hit a line drive that appeared destined for right field, but Mark Sanborn (Hopkinton, Mass.) snagged the ball and doubled off Abreu to get out of the jam.
UMass Lowell finally ended the marathon in the bottom of the 18th. Connor Burnham (Harwich, Mass.) led off with a double, followed by a Matt Jacobs' (Hudson, Mass.) walk. With one out, Kneeland ripped a single into left field that scored Burnham to win the game.
Kneeland finished the day 1-for-5 with two RBI and three walks. He was aided by Burnham who shined with a 4-for-8 showing at the plate and a run scored.
Reliever Tyler Toyfair (Agawam, Mass.) got the win after pitching a quiet 18th inning, improving to 1-0 on the season.
The River Hawks are back in action tomorrow, engaging in a double-header with St. Michaels at 1:30 p.m. and Philadelphia at 5 p.m.
