ORONO, Maine – The UMass Lowell baseball team saw the season come to an abrupt end on Friday after falling in the late innings of both games. The Hartford Hawks sent a walk-off single into left field to pick up the 4-3 win, and Stony Brook saw a 5-0 lead disappear but used a solo home run in the eighth to hold on for the 6-5 victory in the night cap.
Stony Brook (32-24) scored three runs in the fourth to build a 5-0 lead, but the River Hawks (25-29) began to chip away in the bottom of the frame after
Mark Tumosa (Willington, Conn.) singled and came around to score on a balk and a pair of wild pitches.
Joey Castellanos (Nutley, N.J.) ripped a two-run double to light the spark in the bottom of the fifth with a two-RBI double that scored
Ben Prada (Laurel, Md.) and
Cam Climo (Billerica, Mass.). After a pair of ground outs, Tumosa brought his team within one with a single to right.
After Tumosa stole second,
Russ Olive (Chelmsford, Mass.) sent a single into the shift and the wild throw allowed Tumosa to plate the tying run.
In the top of the sixth Stony Brook threatened with bases loaded and one out, but
Ricky Constant (Nashua, N.H.) was able to retire the next two batters to keep the deadlock intact.
After threatening in both innings since the River Hawks' rally, the Seawolves were able to break through with a solo home run to right field in the eighth.
The Hawks' (25-29) Drew Martino sent the game-winning single down the left field line to send Hartford into tomorrow's championship game.
Prada stole third in the third inning and crossed the plate on a passed ball for the contest's first run. Hartford responded with an RBI single in its half of the third.
The score remained even until the sixth, Climo sent a slow dribbler to second and the throw went high allowing Olive and
Steve Passatempo (Medford, Mass.) to score, Right before the miscue,
Colby Maiola (North Reading, Mass.) got thrown out at the plate on Passatempo's single to left.
DeMartino connected on a two-run shot in the seventh to send the game into its second deadlock, 3-3.
Nick Rand (Hyde Park, N.Y.) went seven innings and struck out five and was able to strand four runners on the bases.
The River Hawks finished the 2018 season with the most overall and conference wins since joining Division I.
