Box Score Sophomore Jacob O'Keefe (Wellington, Fla.) ducked around a fruitless tag attempt to score on a senior Pat Devlin (Tewksbury, Mass.) line single to right in the bottom of the seventh inning as UMass Lowell defeated East Stroudsburg University, 3-2, to win the nightcap and earn a doubleheader split Saturday afternoon at Diamond Nation in Flemington, N. J.
 
East Stroudsburg won the opener, 6-4.
 
With the second game win, the River Hawks improved their record to 4-2, East Stroudsburg University dropped to 3-3.  The two schools will square off in another doubleheader Sunday.
 
“Give him a lot of credit,” says UMass Lowell Coach Ken Harring of O'Keefe.  “The throw (to the plate) beat him, most runners would just give up and be tagged out, but he danced around the tag (to score.)”
 
Tied at two, the bottom of the seventh inning had started in optimistic fashion; freshman Matt Mattola's (Newburyport, Mass.) ripped a double to left.  It was his first collegiate hit.  River Hawk hopes were nearly squelched when pinch runner sophomore Luke Reynolds (Manchester, N. H.) was thrown out at the plate trying to score on an O'Keefe single.  O'Keefe put himself in scoring position advancing to second on the throw to the plate.
 
After a walk, Devlin won the game with a single to right and O'Keefe's mad dash, dance and dive to the plate. 
 
“Your team goes as your seniors go,” says Harring.  “Devlin is a battler; he hit the ball where it was pitched.”
 
After East Stroudsburg had broken a scoreless tie with an unearned run in the fourth inning, the River Hawk struck back scoring twice in the bottom half of the inning.
 
Sophomore Geoff DeGroot (Wesley, Fla.) started it with a single.  He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and came around to tie the game on a doubled drilled to left by senior James Katsiroubas (Milton, Mass.)
 
Katsiroubas scored on a hit-and-run single to right off the bat of sophomore Pat Parker (Merrimack, N. H.) give UMass Lowell a 2-1 lead.
 
“(Parker's) a real good hitter,” says Harring.  “He outsmarts the pitcher.  He works the count, he's never off balance.”
 
The River Hawks carried the lead into the seventh before ESU would tie it on a windblown solo homerun.
 
The homerun was the only earned run allowed by River Hawk starter sophomore righthander Shane Beauchemin (Manchester, N. H.)  He tossed a complete game three-hitter, walking one and striking out six.
 
“He was absolutely awesome,” says Harring, “he was ahead of the hitters all day.”
 
O'Keefe and Parker each had two hit games in the nightcap.  Parker, Katsiroubas and Devlin each drove in a run.
 
The first gamer did not go as well.  UMass Lowell battled but never lead.
 
Trailing 2-0 before batting, the River Hawks got a run back in the second inning on an infield single by freshman Joe Consolmagno (Worcester, Mass.)
 
Down by two, UMass Lowell tied it in the third inning.  Sophomore Jimmy Ricoy (Lowell, Mass.) tripled to bring in the first run and scored later on a Parker single to tie the game at three.
 
The River Hawks trailing 6-3 in the eighth inning tried to rally but were able only to push a single run across the plate on an infield out.
 
UMass Lowell starter junior Garrett Cole (Bedford, N. H.) battled into the sixth inning, but did not have his best stuff.  Cole went 5.1 innings allowing nine hits, two walks, and four earned runs.  He struck out five.
 
After Sunday's twin bill against the Warriors, UMass Lowell will head to the playing fields of sunny Florida starting with a single game against Wilmington University in Boca Raton Friday, March 8.