Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CATONSVILLE, Md. (April 26, 2014) – UMass Lowell baseball hammered University of Maryland Baltimore County pitching for 26 hits and 20 runs in sweeping a doubleheader, 5-1 and 15-1, Saturday afternoon, at Alumni Field in Catonsville, Md.
 
"We did a lot of good things today," said UMass Lowell Head Coach Ken Harring.  "I can't say enough good things about the way we played.  We executed at bat and in the field"
 
The baseball team which had endured, as all teams do, a slump earlier this season appears to have learned some important lessons from the previous frustration.
 
"We've seen it all," said Harring.  "We know how it feels to be on the other side.  I think that has helped give us a better focus."
 
The River Hawks have, now, won five in a row to reach the .500 mark at 15-15 overall and a game over in America East Conference play at 7-6.  With the sweep UMass Lowell moves ahead of UMBC and into third place in the conference standings.  The Retrievers fall to 13-20 overall and 6-8 in conference play.  The two teams wrap up the three game series, with a single game, Sunday at noon.
 
While the hitters and the offense may grab the headlines it was senior right-hander Shane Beauchemin (Manchester, N. H.) who set the tone with a brilliant game-one performance.
 
"It's the best he's looked all season," said Harring.  "His slider was effective, his command was great and he got ahead of hitters all game long."
 
Beauchemin was in charge from the outset and turned in an efficient business-like four-hit complete game.  He walked just one and struck out four.  17 of the UMBC outs were recorded on flyballs.  He threw just 96 pitches, 65 for strikes over a commanding nine innings.  The game-one starter faced only 32 batters, five over the minimum, in picking up with third win of the season.
 
The River Hawks made noise their first time with the stick.  Junior Luke Reynolds (Manchester, N. H.) opened the game with a double up the left field power alley.  He moved to third on an infield out and scored on a junior Danny Mendick (Rochester, N. Y.) ground ball.
 
For Reynolds, the lead off double was his first of six hits on the day.  He went three-for-five in each game.
 
"He works the count, he doesn't chase bad pitches," said Harring.  "He stays back and drives the ball and uses the whole field, from pole to pole."
 
After the home team tied the game in the third inning, UMass Lowell retook the lead, this time for good, in the fifth.  Freshman Ian Strom (Hopedale, Mass.) doubled to left, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on an RBI single down the right field line by junior Jacob O'Keefe (Wellington, Fla.)  O'Keefe moved up a base on a wild pitch, was bunted over to third and eventually scored on an infield out.
 
The River Hawks added a couple of insurance runs in the top of the ninth.   Mendick opened the inning with a single.  A sacrifice bunt moved him to second; a balk pushed him along another 90 feet to third.  A single by junior Matthew Sanchez (Sunrise, Fla.) made it 4-1.  Junior Jimmy Ricoy (Lowell, Mass.) put a fifth run on the board with a double into the left field corner scoring Sanchez.
 
Game-One featured grinding at bats, situational hitting and terrific pitching, Game-Two also had terrific pitching, but the added ingredient was an explosive line up.  Six men in the lineup had multi hit games.  Nine of UMass Lowell's 16 hits were for extra bases.
 
The formula for success appeared to be lead-off doubles. Lead off doubles started four run scoring innings in the second game of the doubleheader.  Three times they put up crooked numbers.
 
Down, 1-0, the River Hawks scored twice in the second inning to take a lead they would never relinquish.  Sophomore Matt Mottola (Newburyport, Mass.) opened the inning with a double to left and moved to third on a bloop double to right by Sanchez and scored on a wild pitch.  Sanchez eventually scored on an infield out.
 
UMass Lowell increased the lead, to 5-1, with three-runs in the third inning.  This time it was junior Kelly Rooney (Upton, Mass.) who started it with a double.  Two wild pitches later he crossed the plate.  Two more runs scored on a Mendick home run to left. 
 
The River Hawks further widened the gap with two more markers in the fifth.  Reynolds opened the inning with a double and scored on a sac fly.  Mottola, who appears to be locked in, added the second run of the inning with a solo blast, 7-1.  It was his second home run of the season.
 
UMass Lowell used a familiar script to make it 8-1 in the sixth inning.  Storm opened the inning with a two-bagger and after stealing third scored on a Rooney single to center.
 
If the game wasn't already out of UMBC's reach, the River Hawks put it away with seven more runs in the final frame of the seven-inning nightcap.  This time the script was altered slightly; two walks set the stage and a Strom double plated the base runners.  Strom scored a moment later on a Rooney single to left.  A Reynolds single, later, upped the count to 12-1.
 
The final three runs of the inning and the game came with one final loud exclamation point.  Mendick hit his second home run of the game.  It was a three-run blast hit down the line in left.
 
"He's absolutely locked in," said Harring.  "He has good at bats, he's a run producer."
 
All the run support backed the strong pitching of senior right-hander Mike Calzetta (Lawrence, Mass.)   He worked a seven-inning complete game throwing just 71 pitches, 50 for strikes.
 
"He got strike one, that's the key," said Harring.  "He got ahead of hitters and located his fast ball very well."
 
Calzetta allowed just one run and six hits.  He walked one and struck out one.
 
UMass Lowell and UMBC will wrap up the series with a single game at noon on Saturday.