Game 1 (PDF) | Game 2 (PDF)

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The UMass Lowell (18-30, 5-19) baseball team dropped its final two America East games to the Hartford Hawks (33-14, 13-7) at Fiondella Field on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Hawks held on to take game one, 14-10, and won the finale by a score of 17-4. The River Hawks were powered by home runs, three of which were first career homeruns for Andy Savard (Tyngsboro, Mass.), Tyler Noe (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Chris Sharpe (Burlington, Mass.).
 
"It's just one those days," said Head Coach Ken Harring. "If you play or coach this game long enough you're going to be a part of something like this. Obviously Hartford had its bats going all weekend long, and everything was hard or it found holes. It was definitely a hitter's day with the wind conditions. I'm proud of the way we came back in game one, we have fight in our club and today was just a part of the process.
 
In game one, the Hawks jumped out to a 12-3 lead after two innings behind two grand slams by Ben Bengston in his first two at bats.
 
Trailing 5-0 after one full, the River Hawks trimmed the deficit to two with a one-out rally in the second frame. Sharpe was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on wild pitch, before Oscar Marchena (Miami, Fla.) doubled to left to drive him in. Two batters later, Savard reached on an error to drive home Marchena, and Ben Prada (Laurel, Md.) singled to center to plate Noe.
 
In the sixth, Savard brought UMass Lowell within 13-7 with his first career grand slam. Sharpe reached on an error, Marchena hit his second double and Noe walked to load the bases with no outs. The catcher sent the first pitch he saw into the net over the wall in left field.
 
Noe connected on his first career home run in the top of the seventh, a three-run shot to trim the Hartford buffer to 13-10. Steve Passatempo (Medford, Mass.) began the inning with a walk, and Sharpe walked with one out. Two batters later, Noe sent Justin Robarge's pitch over the protective netting in left.
 
Collin Duffley (Manchester, N.H.) struck out a career-high three batters in 3.1 innings of relief. Savard and Noe combined for eight RBI, each setting career highs with five and three runs driven in, respectively.
 
Game Two
Hartford jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first and added six more in the second frame. Sharpe became the third River Hawk on the day to record his first career homer, with a solo shot in the second. Noe hit his second long ball of the day, a solo home run, in the fourth.
 
In the seventh, Consolmagno doubled and came across on a Passatempo RBI single. Noe picked up his second RBI of the game with a bases loaded walk.
 
The trio of Noe, Passatempo and Ian Strom (Hopedale, Mass.) all recorded two hits, with Noe leading the team with two RBI.
 
UMass Lowell is back in action on Tuesday, May 17, hosting the Bryant Bulldogs at 7 p.m.