Saturday, March 19 vs. NYIT (12 p.m.)
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RHP Andrew Ryan (3-0, 0.41 ERA) vs. RHP Elias Martinez (0-1, 5.02 ERA)

Game 2 (3 p.m.)
RHP Steve Xirinachs (0-3, 3.07 EA) vs. Brandon Alberto (1-0, 1.69 ERA) 

Sunday, March 20 vs. NYIT (12 p.m.)
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RHP Nick Kuzia (1-1, 4.30 ERA) vs. RHP Dixon Marble (2-1, 2.50 ERA)

Game 2 (3 p.m.)
RHP Kevin Veilleux (0-0, 1.80 ERA) vs. LHP David Plotkin (1-0, 1.88 ERA)
Twitter: @RiverHawkBB @RiverHawkNation

LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell baseball team returns from the West Coast and entertains the NYIT Bears in a pair of doubleheaders this weekend.

The four games will open up the 2016 home schedule for the River Hawks.

River Hawk Recap
The River Hawks (6-5) fell to the San Francisco Dons, 8-1, on March 16 in the finale of their four-game road trip. Ben Prada (Laurel, Md.) and Joe Consolmagno (Worcester, Mass.) led the way with two hits, and Steve Passatempo (Medford, Mass.) doubled home Consolmagno for the squad's only run. Kendall Pomeroy (Shrewsbury, Mass.) struck out a career-high five batters in three innings of relief. Freshman Chris Sharpe (Burlington, Mass.) continued his seven-game hitting streak with a single in the first inning.

Leading the Flock
Consolmagno leads the team with a .333 average and 13 hits. Sharpe has 13 hits as well, and a team-high five doubles. Passatempo powers the offense with five homers and 13 RBI, followed by Sharpe's six runs batted in. Three River Hawks have recorded at least five stolen bases, led by Ian Strom's (Hopedale, Mass.) seven in eight attempts. Prada and Consolmagno have five each as the team ranks second in the league with 23 steals. On the mound, Ryan leads the staff with a 3-0 record with a 0.41 ERA, and 21 strikeouts to lead the conference in all three categories. Nick Kuzia (Seymour, Conn.), Brendan Shea (Belmont, Mass.) and Pomeroy have picked up the other wins for the club. UMass Lowell is batting .233 as a team, and posts a 2.97 ERA as a staff.

Scouting NYIT
The Bears (5-7) snapped their three-game losing streak with a 2-1 victory at Richmond on March 13. Joe Daru leads NYIT with a .400 average, 18 hits, 13 runs and three triples. He is one of two players with one home run and six RBI. Thomas Joannou has hit the other long ball and has driven in five, while James Bulva has six RBI. Daru and Matt DeAngelis have each stolen three bases to combine for 60 percent of the Bears' total. On the mound, Dixon Marble is 2-1 with a 2.50 ERA and 10 strikeouts. Matt Diaz has stuck out 15 and Brandon Alberto boats a 1.69 ERA with nine Ks in just over five innings. As a unit, NYIT is batting .201 and has a 5.12 ERA.

Series History
This weekend series will mark the first meetings for the two programs.

Notables
Ryan was named America East Pitcher of the Week (3.15) ... Passatempo was named the America East Rookie of the Week on 3/1 and 3/8 ... Ryan earned America East Co-Pitcher of the Week (3.8).