LOWELL, Mass. -- Needing a pair of victories to secure a second consecutive berth in the America East postseason, the UMass Lowell baseball team took care of business in one day; knocking off UMBC in both ends of Saturday's doubleheader 4-2 and 5-2.
The River Hawks (14-33, 9-11) used key pitching and timely hitting to secure the sweep, and the Retrievers (21-28, 6-16) were eliminated from postseason contention.
Nick Rand (Hyde Park, N.Y.) and
Kendall Pomeroy (Shrewsbury, Mass.) limited the visitors to two runs on six hits in the opener, while
Connor Metelski (Wall Township, N.J.) pitched his second complete game in three starts to seal the deal.
"To clinch means a lot, these guys have been through a heck of a lot as a team and it feels good to take the heat off of tomorrow's game and the last three next weekend," remarked Head Coach
Ken Harring. "Now we're playing for seeding and if we keep winning games that will take care of itself. Nick {Rand} was a bulldog out there and when he needed his best stuff he delivered, and our MVP Oscar is always coming up with the hits that we need. In game two, there's nothing much to say other than {Connor} Metelski was great and Passatempo's double to get us going was huge. It was a great team effort out there today."
Oscar Marchena (Miami, Fla.) and
Michael Young (Chester, N.J.) each drove in a pair to pace UMass Lowell in the 4-2 victory, while Marchena and
Vinnie Martin (Lodi, N.J.) picked up two hits in the finale.
Game 1
After the Retrievers scored the contest's first run on a bases-loaded walk in the second, Young ripped a two-run double to right field in the bottom of the frame to answer and put the River Hawks in front, 2-1.
UMBC drew even with a double in the fourth, but the deadlock did not last long as Marchena delivered the decisive two-run single in the fifth to give the hosts a lead which they would not give up.
Rand scattered four hits through six innings with six strikeouts, and Pomeroy picked up the three-inning save adding three strikeouts.
Game 2
The visitors got on the board first in the second game, as well, and took a 2-0 lead after the first inning, but a two-out rally for the River Hawks in the second provided the difference in the clinching game.
With two outs in the frame and a runner on first, Steve Passatempo (Medford, Mass.) sent a double to the wall in left which scored
Cam Climo (Billerica, Mass.) to cut the gap in half. After a Martin double to plate Passatempo, consecutive wild pitches plated two runs to put the hosts on top by two.
Climo added an insurance run with a RBI single in the fifth, and Metelski cruised for the complete game, striking out five and earning his fourth win of the season.
The teams conclude the series tomorrow at noon. There will be a pre-game ceremony to honor UMass Lowell's 13 seniors beginning at 11:35 a.m.
