March 15, 2011
Box Score
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
R |
H |
E |
| Mercy |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
5 |
2 |
| UMass Lowell |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
3 |
X |
11 |
15 |
1 |
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
R |
H |
E |
| Philadelphia |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
7 |
4 |
| UMass Lowell |
2 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
X |
9 |
15 |
0 |
The River Hawk offense caught fire on Tuesday afternoon, knocking over Mercy, 11-3, and Philadelphia, 9-1. Baseball continues to roar through its annual Florida trip, improving to 7-0 on the southern swing.
The victories extend UMass Lowell's winning streak to 11 games, the program's longest since 2006, as it has outscored opponents by a margin of 81-14 during that stretch. The River Hawks improve to 11-1 overall this season, while the Mavericks fall to 4-7 and the Rams drop to 1-9.
"Our guys are comfortable right now and the order is balanced from top to bottom," said head coach Ken Harring. "It's a lot of fun to watch."
The opener against Mercy started in back-and-forth fashion with the score knotted at 3-3 entering the bottom of the seventh. Senior Connor Burnham (Harwich, Mass.) led off with a single, followed by a sacrifice bunt attempt from junior Matt Jacobs (Hudson, Mass.) that the catcher overthrew. With runners on second and third, Burns roped a two-run single into right field to take the lead. Junior Cam Kneeland (Rowley, Mass.) kept the ball rolling with a single before sophomore James Katsiroubas (Milton, Mass.) smacked a two-run double off the leftfield wall to break the game wide open.
Burns finished the game with two hits and three RBI, while Katsiroubas totaled three hits and two RBI. Freshman Dylan Flynn (Upton, Mass.) added a two-run home run in the runaway game and Burnham collected three hits and two runs scored.
Sophomore pitcher Vinny DePierro (Tewksbury, Mass.) kept Mercy at bay through the first seven innings, allowing three unearned runs. The lefty allowed five hits, two walks and struck out nine batters before handing the ball over to Dallas Nunes (Easton, Mass.) for an unblemished final two frames.
In the late game against Philadelphia, the River Hawks attacked early and often to put the contest out of reach. Jacobs and Burns picked up back-to-back hits and Katsiroubas walked to load the bases. With one out, junior Rob Noe (Lynnfield, Mass.) clocked a two-run double over the left fielder's head.
Leading 2-1 in the third, UMass Lowell kept up the pressure. Junior Mark Sanborn (Hopkinton, Mass.) laced a bases loaded two-run single, followed by a two-out RBI hit from Burnham.
Junior starter Bryant Guilmette (Hopkinton, Mass.) was electric on the mound, pitching eight innings while allowing just one run. Guilmette struck out 10, surrendered six hits and walked one. Freshman Geoff Fisher (Londonderry, N.H.) tossed a quiet ninth to wrap up the game.
The River Hawks will take a breather tomorrow after playing seven games in last four days, coming back strong on Thursday morning with an 11 a.m. clash against C.W. Post.
