Game One (PDF) | Game Two (PDF) | Interview
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – The UMass Lowell (20-32) baseball team won its season finale, 10-7, in its doubleheader split with the Monmouuth Hawks (29-25) on Friday. The Hawks took game one 5-4.
Head Coach
Ken Harring saw his squad reach the 20-win plateau for the second time in the Division I era.
"It's always nice to win your last game of any season," remarked Harring. "It gives a little momentum heading into next year, it was nice to fight back in game two after the early hole. We just couldn't come all the back in game one, and to come away today is a nice feeling."
Trailing 4-2 after three innings in game two, the River Hawks broke through to score five runs in the frame, to open a 7-4 buffer.
Mark Tumosa (Willington, Conn.) led off with a perfectly executed bunt single, and stood at third after
Tyler Noe (Lynnfield, Mass.) got hit and
Nick Barry put down a sac bunt.
Ian Strom (Hopedale, Mass.) singled home Tumosa and after Noe scored on a wild pitch to tie the game, Strom gave the River Hawks a 5-4 lead on
Ben Prada's (Laurel, Mass.) RBI single.
Steve Passatempo (Medford, Mass.) capped off the frame with a two-run shot to right field, the freshman's 11th homer of the season.
After being held scoreless since the second inning of game one, Monmouth put up three runs in the first frame of the finale behind a three-run home run off the bat of Dan Shea.
The River Hawks countered with two in the top of the second with a pair of RBI singles following
Chris Sharpe's (Burlington, Mass.) triple to lead off the inning. Marchena drove in Sharpe, and Strom singled home Tumosa who reached on a fielder's choice.
The hosts got single runs in the third and fifth innings, but UMass Lowell added three runs in the sixth for a 10-5 buffer. Strom hit his team-high ninth double and scored on a Passatempo double. An error on the Monmouth third baseman allowed
Russ Olive (Chemlsford, Mass.) to reach and Passatempo to score, and Olive came around on a
Chris Sharpe (Burlington, Mass.) single.
Monmouth scored two in the sixth and threatened for more but
Nick Rand (Hyde Park, N.Y.) came in with two one, one out and induced two pop ups to close the door.
Nick Kuzia (Seymour, Conn.) picked up his third win of the season, striking out five batters in four innings. Rand struck out three in 1.2 innings to earn his first career save. Passatempo came up a triple shy of the cycle, while scoring twice and driving in three. Strom recorded three hits and also had two RBI and runs.
Game One
The Hawks jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first two innings behind three doubles, a pair of which drove in two runs each.
Marchena put the River Hawks on the board with a RBI single in the sixth to plate Sharpe in the sixth. Marchena came around to score off a Tumosa double down the left field line.
UMass Lowell cut the deficit to 5-3 in the seventh following a Passatempo sacrifice fly to score Strom. The junior led off the frame with the third River Hawk double.
With the bases loaded in the eighth,
Andy Savard (Tyngsboro, Mass.) scored Sharpe with a sac fly, but the River Hawks were unable to complete the rally and knot up the score.
Marchena led paced the team at the plate with three hits, a RBI and a run scored. Olive added two hits and scored twice. In six shutout innings of relief,
Ricky Constant (Nashua, N.H.) only allowed two hits and induced six ground outs.
UMass Lowell has now completed three year of the four-year Division I transition period. The America East will announce its All-Conference awards next week.
