Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

UMass Lowell baseball senior Cam Kneeland (Rowley, Mass.) batted 1-for-4 with three walks, two RBI and a run scored in a pair of losses at Southern New Hampshire on Saturday afternoon, 7-4 and 4-2.

Dropping both games of the double-header dealt a strong blow to the River Hawks' playoff chance, dropping their record to 24-17-1 overall, 12-11-1 in the Northeast-10 and 7-9 in the Northeast Division. UMass Lowell is now in sixth-place in the division, needing help over the final week of the season to claim one of the Northeast Division's four playoff spots. The Penmen improved to 36-11 on the year, 19-9 in the NE-10 and 12-8 in the division.

The River Hawks have five games remaining on the schedule. UMass Lowell will host divisional foe Stonehill College on Tuesday (7 p.m.) and ends its non-conference slate with Dominican at home on Friday (5 p.m.). The final three games of the year will be played in Waltham, MA against Bentley on Saturday and Sunday.
 
Game One
 
The River Hawks scored first in the opener, pushing across a pair of runs in the top of the second inning. Leading off the inning, James Katsiroubas (Milton, Mass.) was hit with a pitch, and then scored on a single by senior Mark Sanborn (Hopkinton, Mass.). A few batters later, Sanborn came around on an error by the second baseman to grant UMass Lowell a 2-0 lead.

Junior Zach Berger (Coral Gables, Fla.) was hit by a pitch in the third inning with the bases loaded to expand the River Hawks' lead to 3-0.

The Penmen slashed the score to 3-1 in the bottom of the third, scoring on an RBI single by Matt Boulter (Wrentham, Mass.).

Undeterred, UMass Lowell scored again in the fourth to reestablish its three run lead. Senior Matt Jacobs (Hudson, Mass.) hit a one-out double and was singled home by Kneeland.

The River Hawks good luck ran out in the later innings as Southern New Hampshire scored once in the sixth and five times in the seventh. After handing over two runs by issuing back-to-back free passes with the bases loaded, a walk and a hit by pitch,  the back-breaker came on a two-run double Greg Pezzuto (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.).

UMass Lowell's starting pitcher Tyler Toyfair (Agawam, Mass.) took the loss (5-3) after completing six innings. Toyfair allowed just two hits, but issued five walks and hit four batters while allowing five runs (three earned) and striking out eight. Reliever Mike Sloban (Merrimac, Mass.) pitched the final two frames, allowing two runs on a hit and four strikeouts.

Kneeland finished the game 1-for-2 with two walks, an RBI and a run scored. Leadoff hitter Jacobs also was strong, going 2-for-5 with a run scored.
 
Game Two
 
Southern New Hampshire grabbed control of the late game right from the start, scoring three times in the bottom of the first inning. Boulter singled a runner home with one out, followed by a two-run homer from Jon Minucci (Madison, Conn.).

Settling down after the first, River Hawks' starter Mike Calzetta (Lawrence, Mass.) ran through the next several innings without much trouble. Calzetta (3-3) complete seven innings, allowed eight hits, three runs and struck out two.

UMass Lowell's offense finally answered back in the eighth inning after a pair of walks and a single loaded the bases with one out. Freshman Geoff DeGroot (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) drew a walk to force in a run and Kneeland hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score another and cut the lead to 3-2.

The Penmen countered in the bottom of the eighth on a RBI triple by Minucci to push Southern New Hampshire's lead to two runs.

The River Hawks offense couldn't rise to the occasion again in the ninth as they fell 4-2.

UMass Lowell only managed three hits in the game, with the brightest spot coming from freshman Matthew Sanchez (Sunrise, Fla.) who went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Kneeland and DeGroot each finished 0-for-2 with an RBI.