Box Score
CATONSVILLE, Md. – The UMass Lowell baseball team came from six runs down to defeat the University of Maryland Baltimore County, 12-8, and complete a weekend sweep, Sunday afternoon, at Alumni Field in Catonsville, Md.  
 
The River Hawks stretched its win streak to six and moved over the .500 mark at 16-15 on the season, 8-6 in the America East. UMass Lowell sits in third place, two games back of second place Hartford and a game-and-a-half ahead of Binghamton.  The Retrievers dropped to 13-21, 6-9 in conference action.
 
 "It was a great sweep on the road," said head coach Ken Harring. "UMBC took advantage of a couple early mistakes, but our relentless attitude persevered."
 
UMBC took advantage of a junior Jimmy Ricoy (Lowell, Mass.) miscue in the first inning to grab a 2-0 early lead. Mark Esposito knocked in two on a single back up the middle. In the second inning, a throwing error by UMass Lowell starter senior Christian Lavoie (Hopkinton, Mass.) gave them an extra out and once again UMBC capitalized, just this time it was four runs. The Retrievers led 6-0 after two, all six runs unearned.     
 
River Hawks bats awakened, with a three spot, in the fourth. Ricoy drove home a run with a sac fly and junior Jacob O'Keefe (Wellington, Fla.) drove in two more with a single, but UMBC got two back in the bottom half of the inning.
 
UMass Lowell trailed 8-3 entering the top of the fifth, when the River Hawks started their comeback in earnest. Junior Luke Reynolds (Manchester, N.H.) opened the inning with a single down the right field line. Freshman Ian Strom (Hopedale, Mass.) followed with a bunt single and junior Danny Mendick (Rochester, N.Y.) hit an RBI double to left center. The River Hawks cut it to three when junior Matthew Sanchez (Sunrise, Fla.) drove in two more with a double to center.
 
The River Hawks put four more on the board in the top of the sixth to jump ahead 10-8. After a walk by Reynolds, Strom hit an RBI double to left, followed by a Mendick singled to put runners on the corners. Sophomore Matt Mottola (Newburyport, Mass.) drilled an RBI double to left center to tie it at eight. Sanchez followed up with a one out single to left field to bring home Mendick and Mattola and the River Hawks led by two after five and a half innings.  It was a lead they would not give back.
 
Sanchez finished the day going 3-for-5 with four RBI and a pair of doubles, while Strom also went 3-for-5, three RBI and two doubles as well. UMass Lowell added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh. Strom hit a two out, two RBI double deep to right center to give the River Hawks a four run cushion.    
 
Senior Garrett Cole (Bedford, N.H.) got the win improving his record to 3-1 on the season. The right-hander pitched 3.2 scoreless innings, striking out two, while walking just one. UMBC Bobby Applegate took the loss and fell to 2-3 after giving up five hits, four runs over 1.2 innings of work.  Lavoie allowed all eight runs, with just two earned runs over just 3.1 innings. The River Hawks bullpen was great allowing no runs and just two hits over the last 5.1 innings.   
 
The River Hawks look to extend their winning streak to eight when it hosts Brown on Wednesday, April 30th in doubleheader starting at 4:00 p.m. at LeLacheur Park.