Game One Box (PDF) | Game Two Box (PDF) | Interview

STONY BROOK, N.Y. – The UMass Lowell (15-15, 4-7) baseball team defeated the Stony Brook Seawolves (16-14, 6-3) in game one, 2-1, to extend their its winning streak to four, before falling in game two, 5-0, Saturday afternoon at Joe Nathan Field.

"The day's conditions were tough for hitters and we knew the day was going to be a pitcher's dual," said Head Coach Ken Harring. "Andrew Ryan did a great job setting the tone in game one and the bullpen did what we needed them to do for the 2-1 win against a quality team. In game two we get one hit and couldn't get anything going or that big hit. Just have to chalk that up to baseball."
 
The win marked Harring's 400th career victory, and win number 321 at UMass Lowell.
 
In game one, Ian Strom (Hopedale, Mass.) delivered the big hit in the top of the eighth with a RBI double to score Oscar Marchena (Miami, Fla.) from first, pushing the River Hawks in front 2-1.
 
Marchena started the frame with a bunt single down the third base line that stopped on the chalk and stayed fair. Three batters later, Strom sent a ball that one-hopped the fence in left to score the freshman.
 
Brendan Long (Naples, Fla.) earned his conference-leading seventh save of the season on 14 pitches, with help from Nick Barry (Grafton, Mass.) throwing out the potential tying run at second. Cam Lanzilli (Stoneham, Mass.) pitched one shutout inning to record his first career win.
 
Each starter went over six innings, combining for 12 strikeouts and only four walks. Andrew Ryan (Rochester, Mass.) struck out seven to work around seven hits and one walk, and allowed one earned run in 6.2 innings.
 
The River Hawks took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when Mark Tumosa (Willington, Conn.) beat out an infield single to score Marchena with two outs. The second baseman led off the inning, reaching on an error, and advanced on Steve Passatempo's (Medford, Mass.) single to left. Chris Sharpe (Burlington, Mass.) laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position.
 
Stony Brook countered during their half of the fourth on a single from Casey Baker to cap a string of three consecutive singles with one out.
 
In game two, the hosts scored three times in the second inning to open a 3-0 lead, and tacked on two more in the fifth. Michael Young (Chester, N.J.) had the lone UMass Lowell hit, a single in the fifth.
 
The rubber game of the three-game series is set for tomorrow at noon. Nick Kuzia (Seymour, Conn.) will take the mound for the River Hawks.