2004
NORTHEAST-10 BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS #6
UMass Lowell Upsets LOWELL,
Mass. (May 7, 2004) –
Sixth-seeded University of Massachusetts Lowell scored three runs in the
top of the 11th inning to claim its second upset victory of
the week with a 4-1 decision over second-seeded Franklin Pierce, ranked
fourth in this week’s National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
(NCBWA) Northeast Region poll, in game three of the 2004 Northeast-10
Conference Baseball Championships at LeLacheur Park this afternoon.
UMass Lowell (20-21) advances to tomorrow’s winners bracket
where it will face the winner of tonight’s game between top-seeded and
No. 17-ranked Saint Anselm College (30-18) and fifth-seeded Southern
Connecticut State University (28-20) at 3 p.m. Franklin Pierce (28-21)
is relegated to the loser’s bracket and will face the losing team from
tonight’s game tomorrow at 11 a.m. The Ravens will need to win twice
on Saturday to advance to the NE-10 Championship game for the second
straight year. The victory was UMass Lowell’s second-straight against a higher seed in this week’s NE-10 Tournament. UML posted a 2-1 ten-inning victory at third-seeded and No. 25-ranked Bryant College in first round action on Wednesday to advance to this weekend’s double-elimination round.
The
River Hawks rode the left arm of junior Brad Laurin (Dracut,
Mass./Central Catholic) to victory this afternoon. Laurin
allowed just one unearned run, scattering nine hits with ten strikeouts
and no walks in the 11-inning complete-game effort.
Sophomore Bob Theriault (Lowell, Mass./Lowell)
paced the UML offense as he hit 3-for-5 with an RBI. Classmate Craig
Carpenter (Nashua, N.H./Nashua) was 2-4 with a triple and run
scored. Junior Nate Liebenow (Hampton, N.H./Winnacunnet) doubled
and scored a run, while senior Erik Thomas (Billerica,
Mass./Billerica) registered two RBI.
Franklin Pierce squandered a superb start from junior
right-hander Keith Brouillard (Westport, Mass./Somerset),
who didn’t receive a decision as he allowed just an earned run on five
hits with eight strikeouts and no walks in ten innings of work.
Sophomore Tyler Cummings (South Paris, Maine/Oxford Hills)
took the loss (3-3), as he was touched for three earned runs on three
hits and a walk in an inning of relief. Freshman Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) led the Ravens on offense as he finished 3-5. Sophomore Randy Fenton (Worcester, Mass./Doherty) hit 2-4 with a run scored, while senior Dante Blancarte (South Berwick, Maine/Amesbury (Mass.)) was 2-5.
In
the decisive 11th, the first four UMass Lowell batters
reached base to greet Cummings, who his first
runs against a Conference opponent this season after 15.1 scoreless
entering the day. After a leadoff walk, Liebenow doubled, followed by a
two-run single by Thomas. Theriault drove in Thomas, who had advanced to
second on an error, with a single to round out the scoring before
Cummings retired the next three batters in a row to end the rally.
Laurin came on for his 11th inning of work and after
Blancarte reached on an error, fanned the next two batters to end the
game.
Brouillard was breezing throughout most of the game as he was
perfect through the first three and two thirds innings and retired 19 of
the first 20 UMass Lowell batters on the day. However, it was the River
Hawks who struck first as Carpenter led off the eighth with a triple off
the rightfield wall to mark the first UML batter to reach scoring
position on the day. Brouillard nearly escaped the threat unscathed, but
freshman Eric Smolin (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy)
beat out an infield single up the middle to allow Carpenter to score. Franklin Pierce answered right back in the home half of the eighth as Fenton led off with a single to left. He advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, and then to third on a groundout before scoring on a UML error on what should have been an inning-ending groundout. |
