Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 HEMPSTEAD, N. Y. (May 17, 2014) – Pitchers dominated one game, hitters the other as UMass Lowell closed out its first season of Division I baseball with a doubleheader split against Hofstra University, Saturday afternoon, at University Field in Hempstead, N. Y.
 
The River Hawks grabbed a 4-2 come-from-behind win in the opener before dropping the second game 18-11. The River Hawks finish the year with a 20-22 record.  UMass Lowell closed out America East Conference play last weekend with a 10-10 record. Hofstra awaits word on its Colonial Athletic Association playoff possibilities with a record of 20-24 overall and 7-11 in conference play.
 
"This is my tenth year here and I take as much satisfaction out of this season as any that I have coached," said UMass Lowell Head Coach Ken Harring.  "I take a great deal of pride in the effort, I am proud of the 20 wins.  I am extremely proud of what we accomplished; we have laid a foundation for the future."
 
The River Hawks won four of nine games against teams that played in the NCAA tournament a year ago.  They will finish the year third, fourth or fifth in the seven team conference once all regular season games are completed.  Wherever they finish, it was an outstanding season.
 
"I'm excited for the future," said Harring who now turns his attention to recruiting.  "Now, we look for players who will continue to grow the program."
 
Game one highlighted what has become the ballclub's trademark throughout the season; making the most of a limited number of hits with a small ball approach that demands good at-bats and a never-say-die attitude.
 
That attitude was on display in the opener as UMass Lowell came frfom two runs down to tied the game in the middle innings and then win it in the ninth.
 
A one-out single to right field by junior catcher Jacob O'Keefe (Wellington, Fla.), his third hit of the game, scored junior Matthew Sanchez (Sunrise, Fla.) from third and broke a 2-2 ninth inning tie.  Sanchez had opened the inning with a single to center field.  The River Hawks added an insurance run on an infield out.
 
"He's a gamer," said Harring of O'Keefe.  "He's playing with injuries, but he plays hard and brings it everyday."
 
UMass Lowell trailed early, the home team put a couple of runs on the board in the fourth inning, but the River Hawks responded with single runs in the fifth and seventh innings.   The first had scored on an infield out, the second on a series of errors.  Hofstra made five errors in the first game.
 
The small ball offense was more than enough thanks in large part to a terrific mound performance by senior right-hander Shane Beauchemin (Manchester, N. H.)  In what was the final start of his collegiate career, Beauchemin allowed just two runs on eight hits in eight innings of work.  He walked two and struck out six.  It was Beauchemin's four win against five losses.
 
"He had a real good outing," said Harring.  "He kept the ball down and got outs and got out of trouble on several occasions.  I was thrilled to see him get the win in the final start of his collegiate career."
 
Freshman Steve Xirinachs (San Diego, Calif.) picked up his third save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning.
 
Game one was about pitching, game two was not, The River Hawks sent 11 men to the plate in the first inning and scored five times.  The loudest blow was a two run homerun off the bat of junior shortstop Danny Mendick (Rochester, N. Y.)  It provided the first runs of the ballgame, but was just the start.  Two more runs crossed the plate on a double by freshman Jack Trotman (East Amherst, N. Y.) and a third scored on the second Hofstra error of the inning.
 
The lead was not secure; the Pride scored five times in the bottom half of the inning, three of the runs crossed the plate after two were out.
 
The River Hawks retook the lead, with two runs, in the third inning.  A junior Luke Reynolds (Manchester, N. H.) homerun did the damage.  It was his first of the year.
 
Hofstra tied it an inning later, but in this see-saw ballgame the River Hawks put three runs on the scoreboard in the fifth.  Mendick drove it a run with a double and Sanchez drove in two more with a single. 
 
UMass Lowell was up 10-7, but the game was far from over.  The lead shrank by a run in the bottom half of the inning and disappeared completely the following inning. 
 
Hofstra exploded for six runs in the sixth inning and then kept pounding away with four more in the seventh.  The big blow in the sixth was a grand slam homerun by Ryan Donovan. 
 
Sanchez had two hits in each of the games to raise his average to a season ending .357.