Baseball: River Hawks Back on Track with Doubleheader Sweep of Assumption

Pitching staff shines, hitters provide support

Tyler Toyfair turned in a dominating performance, striking out six in eight innings of work.

Box Score BOX SCORE GAME 1 | BOX SCORE GAME 2

Timely hitting and dominating pitching proved to be a deadly formula as the UMass Lowell baseball team swept a doubleheader from Assumption, 4-1 and 10-2, Monday afternoon, at LeLacheur Park.

With the sweep, UMass Lowell snapped a three game losing and improved its record to 14-9. Assumption dropped to 5-16.

River Hawk batters banged out 23 hits in the two games.

“Everybody went up to the plate with a plan,” says Coach Ken Harring. “They executed their plan and the result was a bunch of hits.”

Sophomore leftfielder Matthew Sanchez (Sunrise, Fla.) keyed the offense with three hits, including two triples. He scored two runs and drove in three. Sanchez also had a pair of sacrifice flies.

“(Sanchez) is a good baseball player,” says Harring. “He put together some great at bats.”

Senior righthander Tyler Toyfair (Agawam, Mass.) turned in a dominating mound performance in the opener.

“He set the tone; throwing strikes, getting ahead of hitters,” says Harring. “He located his fastball very well. When he does that he's very, very tough. He had an awful lot of movement on his fastball.”

Toyfair was in command throughout the afternoon, allowing just one run and five hits in eight innings of work. He struck out eight and walked no one.

“It's location,” says Toyfair. “If I can locate the fastball, I can get ahead of hitters. It's the first game that I've started that I haven't walked anyone.”

The River Hawks broke a scoreless pitchers' duel with two runs in the top of the fifth inning. Sophomore catcher Jacob O'Keefe (Wellington, Fla.) started the uprising with a hard line single to left. He came around to score, moments later, when Sanchez tripled over the head of the centerfielder.

“It was just trying to make contact,” says Sanchez. “I just try to simplify the game.”

Sanchez scored on a sophomore Luke Reynolds (Manchester N. H.) single to right.

After Assumption cut the lead in half with a run in the bottom of the fifth, UMass Lowell added a run in the sixth on a Sanchez sacrifice fly, but left the bases loaded, 3-1.

The River Hawks added another run in the sixth inning, sophomore Pat Parker (Merrimac, Mass.) drove in the run with a two out single, 4-1.

After that, the game was left in the hands of the River Hawk pitching staff and the staff did its job. Toyfair, who picked up his first win of the season, exited after eight innings and senior righty Mike Sloban (Merrimac, Mass.) closed the ball game out with a three-up, three-down ninth inning.

Sanchez, sophomore first baseman Jimmy Ricoy (Lowell, Mass.) and senior third baseman Pat Devlin (Tewksbury, Mass.) each had two hits in the first game.

The doubleheader nightcap was a different story.

UMass Lowell scored in five of their first six times at bat.

Sophomore shortstop Geoff DeGroot (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) started the second game with a single, stole second and third and scored on an infield out.

The River Hawks added a run in the third inning on an error, a sacrifice bunt and a freshman Joe Consolmagno (Worcester, Mass.) sacrifice fly and then blew the game open with five runs in the fourth.

The fateful fourth featured five hits, a Sanchez sac fly and a DeGroot steal of home as part of a double steal. Sophomore catcher Sam Johnson (Wakefield, R. I.) drove in a run with a double, Luke Reynolds and DeGroot had RBI singles.

After Assumption plated a single run in the bottom of the fourth, a sophomore Pat Parker upped the tally to 8-1 with a sac fly.

The River Hawks reached double digits with two runs in the sixth inning. Reynolds and senior second baseman James Katsiroubas (Milton, Mass.) knocked the runs in with singles.

Reynolds, DeGroot and Ricoy each had two hits in the ball game.

Junior righthander Mike Calzetta (Lawrence, Mass.) picked up his first win of the year throwing five solid innings, allowing four hits and a run. He walked one and struck out four.

The games, originally scheduled as an Assumption home games, were moved to LeLacheur Park because of unplayable field conditions. UMass Lowell batted as the visiting team.

The River Hawks will be on the road Tuesday, at Stonehill, before returning to LeLacheur Park, Thursday for a single game against Post University.

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