#30
UMass Lowell Holds Off LOWELL,
Mass. (April 11, 2006) –
The University of Massachusetts Lowell, ranked No. 30 in this week’s
Collegiate Baseball magazine Division II poll, held off 22nd-ranked
Franklin Pierce for a 5-2 victory in Northeast-10 Conference baseball
action at LeLacheur Park tonight.
UMass Lowell used four pitchers to hold off Franklin Pierce
after building a 5-0 lead after three innings. Sophomore James
Barry (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford)
earned his first win of the season (1-0) with three innings of two-hit
shutout relief, striking out one and walking another. Barry entered
the game after junior Ron
Nelson (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury)
yielded a single and a walk to start the fifth and got out of the
inning with a double play and a fly out. Junior Pat
Donovan (Lowell, Mass./Lowell)
earned his seventh save of the season with two innings of two-hit
shutout relief, walking one and striking out two.
Junior Steve
Paddock (Milford, Mass./Milford)
led the offense as he hit 2-for-4 with three RBI. Junior Patrick
Wilson (Dracut, Mass./Bishop Guertin)
was 2-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, while sophomore Tim
Manton (Swansea, Mass./Joseph Case)
was 1-2 with a pair of walks, two stolen bases and two runs scored.
The River Hawks numbers two through four hitters were a
combined 5-for-9 on the night, while the rest of the lineup was
0-for-20 with a walk. Franklin Pierce suffered just its second loss in
21 games when out-hitting its opponent (19-2) this season, finishing
with an 8-5 advantage.
Junior All-American Garrett
Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills)
was 2-for-4 with a run scored for Franklin Pierce. Senior Randy
Fenton (Worcester, Mass./Doherty)
hit 2-4, while sophomore Matt
Anderson (Medford, Mass./Medford)
finished 1-2 with an RBI. Senior Mike
Chambers (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry)
chipped in with a double – the lone extra base hit of the night.
Junior right-hander Daniel
Fournier (Worcester, Mass./Holy Name)
suffered his second loss of the season (3-2) as he was hit for five
runs, four earned, on five hits and four walks with six strikeouts
over 6.2 innings. Fournier did not allow a hit after the third inning,
and walked just one before issuing a two-out walk in the seventh to
end his night.
After holding Franklin Pierce scoreless in its first at bat for
just the sixth time in 30 games this season, UMass Lowell struck for
three in the home half. A walk and a bunt single set up an RBI single
through the right side by Wilson before Paddock followed with a
two-run single through the left side. Fournier settled down to
strikeout the next three batters to get out of the inning.
The River Hawks added two more in the third as Paddock
registered an RBI single, with a second run scoring thanks to a
throwing error. Franklin Pierce answered with a pair in the fourth
with the aid of three walks. Senior Mike
Feetham (Quincy, Mass./North Quincy)
drew a bases-loaded walk and Anderson drove in the second run with a
sacrifice fly.
Franklin Pierce, who left 11 runners on base, ran out of a
threat in the third as Anderson was thrown out trying to score on a
Chambers fly out. The Ravens had the first two runners on base in the
fifth, but came away empty handed, and had baserunners in each of the
last seven innings. Franklin Pierce (22-8, 7-4 NE-10) and UMass Lowell (24-5, 11-3 NE-10) round out their two-game midweek series at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field in Rindge, N.H., on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. The Ravens will host Merrimack College tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. |
