Senior Dan Close was the only Raven to register mulitple hits against Lowell, hitting 2-2.

2003 NORTHEAST-10 TOURNAMENT #21 UMass Lowell Advances to Final Past Franklin Pierce
Ravens must top Stonehill tonight to advance to championship

LOWELL, Mass. (May 10, 2003) - University of Massachusetts Lowell, ranked 21st in this week's Collegiate Baseball Division II poll, jumped out to a 14-0 lead after three innings and cruised into tomorrow's championship game with a 17-0 victory over Franklin Pierce, ranked fourth in the Northeast Region, in day two action at the 2003 Northeast-10 Conference Championship at LeLacheur Park this afternoon.

Pepin Division Champion UMass Lowell (29-10) will face the winner of tonight's game between Markey Division champ Franklin Pierce (26-14) and Stonehill College (26-15-1). Stonehill remained alive with a 15-11 victory over College of Saint Rose (30-15) this morning. Franklin Pierce topped Stonehill yesterday in day one action, 1-0, in 12 innings.

Sophomore Nate Liebenow led the way for the River Hawks as he finished 3-for-5 with a grand slam and six RBI. Junior Todd Cole hit 2-5 and drove in five, while senior Adam McCusker batted 3-6 and scored three times.

Junior right-hander Steve Palazzolo improved to 7-1 this season as he threw seven innings of five-hit shutout baseball with nine strikeouts and a walk. Freshman Joseph Malzone finished off the shutout with two hitless innings of work, walking one and fanning two.

The 17 runs allowed was a season-high for Franklin Pierce as were the 18 hits surrendered to the River Hawks. Senior right-hander Jon White (Medford, Mass./Arlington Catholic) suffered the loss (5-4) as he was hit for nine runs, just four earned, on seven hits with a walk in an inning plus of work.

Senior Dan Close (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) was the lone Raven with multiple hits as he finished 2-2. Freshman Elliott Shea (Jaffrey, N.H./Conant) was 1-2.

UMass Lowell plated five unearned runs in the first and then sent 13 batters to the plate in a seven-run second. After freshman Craig Carpenter chased White with an RBI single to left, Liebenow greeted sophomore reliever Keith Brouillard (Westport, Mass./Somerset) with a grand slam to give the River Hawks a 10-advantage with none out.

Franklin Pierce had its best chance to score in the sixth with the bases loaded, and just one out, but freshman Mike Chambers (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) grounded into a rally-killing double play.

BOX SCORE

Battery
FP: Jon White, Keith Brouillard (1), Arric Mather (2), Mike Bartkus (7), Bryan Borowski (8).
UML: Palazzollo, Palazzolo (7), Malzone (8)

WP: Palazzollo (7-1)
LP: White (5-4)
HR: Liebenow (4).