Box Score (PDF)

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – The UMass Lowell (1-3) baseball team tied a Division I program mark with three home runs en route to a 11-8 victory against UConn (3-1), for the River Hawks' first win of 2017.
 
Russ Olive (Chelmsford, Mass.) homered and Chris Sharpe (Burlington, Mass.) hit two long balls to bring their season totals to three after the first four games. The duo combined for six hits, six RBI and four runs.

"This was a great character win for the team today," commented Head Coach Ken Harring. "Whenever UConn trimmed the lead, we were able to answer right away and not let it get away from us. The guys showed their mental toughness and it was a great way to end the weekend."
 
UMass Lowell recorded three straight singles with one out in the first, with Austin Young (Millbury, Mass.) scoring John Polichetti (Atkinson, N.H.) on the third. With runners on the corners, Olive sent a blast over the right wall for a quick 4-0 buffer.
 
After the Huskies got one back in the bottom of the frame, a Polichetti RBI groundout followed by a Steve Passatempo (Medford, Mass.) sacrifice fly extended the advantage to 6-1.
 
UConn picked up two more in the third, but Andrew Ryan (Rochester, Mass.) got the final two outs with the bases loaded to maintain the 6-3 lead. The Huskies plated two more in the fourth to trim the deficit to 6-5.
 
The River Hawks responded with three runs with two outs in the top of the fifth, to regain a four-run lead, at 9-5. With Colby Maiola (North Reading, Mass.) standing at second after a double, Ben Prada (Laurel, Md.) doubled him home. On the very next pitch, Sharpe delivered the big hit, homering to left center, his second homer of the weekend.
 
The Huskies pulled within 9-7, but Sharpe was able to add insurance with his second blast in the eighth. Maiola tripled in the ninth for the 11-8 buffer, scoring Oscar Marchena (Miami, Fla.).
 
Passatempo, Maiola and Prada all recorded two hits, with Prada crossing the plate twice. Ricky Constant (Nashua, N.H.) picked up the win, and Nick Rand (Hyde Park, N.Y.) worked 2.1 innings to earn his first save of the season.
 
Isaac Feldstein went 4-for-5 with two RBI for UConn, and the duo of Aaron Hill and Anthony Prato combined for six hits and five runs.
 
The River Hawks are back in action next weekend in Davidson, N.C. for a weekend tournament against Davidson, Fairleigh Dickinson and Lehigh.