LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell baseball team completed a doubleheader sweep of Fairfield on Sunday, to take the non-conference series at LeLacheur Park this weekend.
Steve Passatempo (Medford, Mass.) led the River Hawks (22-25) with five RBI on the weekend, and
Cam Climo (Billerica, Mass.) added three.
In the second game,
Nick Rand (Hyde Park, N.Y.) earned his first complete game in the 3-1 win, as UMass Lowell took game one 7-4, behind a three-run eighth inning.
GAME 1
With a back and forth game knotted at 4-4, Climo doubled to lead off the eighth and he came around to score on Prada's single to put UMass Lowell ahead to stay.
Mark Tumosa (Willinton, Conn.) added insurance with a two-run single, scoring
Nick Barry (Grafton, Mass.) and
Colby Maiola (North Reading, Mass.) from first.
Behind an error and a single, the hosts jumped ahead 2-0 in the first with
Colby Maiola (North Reading, Mass.) taking advantage of a throwing error after he was hit and stole second. Tumosa reached and stole third before Passatempo singled him home for the second run.
The Stags got one back with a solo shot to left in the second, and the score remained 2-1 until the fifth frame.
UMass Lowell added to the lead as Passatempo reached on an error that scored
Russ Olive (Chelmsford, Mass.).
Fairfield tied the game in the sixth on a single and wild pitch with two outs in the inning, following a one-out rally with back-to-back singles.
The deadlock only lasted to the seventh when Passatempo singled to center to plate Tumosa for the 4-3 lead. Fairfield responded with a run of its own to force another tie at 4-4, setting up the River Hawks big eighth inning.
Ricky Constant (Nashua, N.H.) picked up his third win of the season, and
Luke Tomczyk (Chili, N.Y.) earned his fourth save.
GAME 2
The River Hawks took a 3-0 advantage after four innings behind Passatempo's fifth RBI of the weekend, and a pair of Climo RBI, including his second homer of the season.
Passatempo picked up a sacrifice fly in the first, and Climo added to the lead with a single to score Olive later in the frame.
Climo connected on a shot in the fourth that hit the scoreboard in left for UMass Lowell's third run, and his third RBI of the series.
Other than a Fairfield run in the fifth, Rand was able to shutdown the visitors and struck out five, while scattering four hits.
The River Hawks head on the road for a pair of non-conference games, beginning at Bryant on May 15.
