River Hawks score three late runs to post third-straight
Conference championship
LOWELL, Mass. (May 11,
2003) - University of Massachusetts Lowell, ranked No. 21
in this week's Collegiate Baseball magazine Division II poll,
scored three runs over the final two innings to pull out a 4-1
victory over Franklin Pierce and claim its third-straight
Northeast-10 Conference Championship at LeLacheur Park this
afternoon.
The two teams combined to strand 24
runners on base for the afternoon (UML 13, Franklin Pierce 11) as
the two starting pitchers walked a tightrope for the majority of
the contest. Junior right-hander Billy Lynch picked up his eighth
win of the season (8-1) for UMass Lowell as he allowed one unearned
run, scattering ten hits and a walk, with four strikeouts over
eight innings. Senior David Ouellette picked up his
Conference-leading eighth save of the season with a scoreless
ninth, surrendering just a hit.
Franklin Pierce freshman
Mike Farrell (Russell, Mass./Gateway)
turned in a solid start, yielding two runs, just one earned, on 11
hits with three strikeouts and three walks over 7.2 innings.
Freshman Craig Carpenter sparked
the River Hawks offense as he hit 3-for-4 with an RBI. Junior Todd
Cole finished 2-2, while classmate L.J. DeMaino was 2-4 with a
double and run scored. Senior Scott LaValley was 2-4 with an RBI
and freshman Bob Theriault drove in two runs.
Freshman Mike Chambers
(Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) finished 3-4 for the
Ravens. Seniors Mike Callahan (Worcester, Mass./St.
Peter Marian) and Paul McAuliffe
(Foxboro, Mass./Foxboro) each hit 2-3, with Callahan
also registering an RBI. Sophomore Dante Blancarte
(Amesbury, Mass./Amesbury) rounded out the Ravens
with multiple hits by going 2-5.
UML opened the scoring with an
unearned run in the first as Carpenter drove in senior Adam
McCusker, who reached on a fielder's choice, with a single through
the left side with two away.
The Ravens knotted the score in the
fourth with an unearned tally of their own, snapping the River
Hawks string of 21 scoreless innings for the weekend. Senior
Dan Close (Leominster, Mass./Leominster)
singled down the leftfield line to put two runners on base with
none out. However, Blancarte was picked off second for the first
out of the inning, before Chambers reached by way of an error
taking away a potential bases loaded situation with none out.
Callahan later drove in Close with a single to right center with
two out before Lynch got Elliott Shea (Jaffrey,
N.H./Conant) to pop up for the final out of the
inning.
UMass Lowell regained the lead in
the eighth. DeMaino chased Farrell with a double down the
rightfield line with two out. LaValley then greeted Ravens reliever
Greg Basile (Suffield, Conn./Suffield)
with a single up the middle to score DeMaino.
The River Hawks scored a pair of
insurance runs in the ninth as Theriault stroked a single to left
center that scored both runs with one away.
UMass Lowell (30-10) and Franklin
Pierce (27-15) now await official word for likely NCAA Division
Tournament bids to be announced tomorrow. The River Hawks are a
virtual lock for its 14th NCAA appearance, while the Ravens are
odds on favorite for as high as a No. 3-seed and their first NCAA
bid in program history.
| Teams
| 1
| 2
| 3
| 4
| 5
| 6
| 7
| 8
| 9
| R
| H
| E
|
| UML
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 1
| 2
| 4
| 15
| 1
|
| FP
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 1
| 11
| 2
|
BOX
SCORE
Batteries:
FP - Mike Farrell, Greg Basile (8) and Eric Cavers
UML -- Lynch, Ouellette (9) and Mottram
WP: Lynch
(8-1)
LP: Farrell (2-2)
SV: Ouellette (8)
