BOX SCORE 1 |
BOX SCORE 2 Box Score (Game One)
Box Score (Game Two)
WEST HAVEN, Conn. - The University of New Haven baseball team split two games with UMass Lowell Saturday afternoon at Frank Vieira Field. The Chargers won the first game 4-3, but fell 6-0 in the second game. UNH moves to 15-4 overall and 4-2 in the Northeast-10 Conference, while the River Hawks move to 13-9 overall and 2-4.
Game One
The River Hawks were the first to get on the board with a single run in the top of the first. Luke Wallace singled to right field that allowed their runner on second to score. The Chargers then took the lead in the bottom of the second with three runs.
With two outs, the River Hawks’ Jack Leathersich walked Joe Romanelli (Baldwin, N.Y./Holy Trinity) and Frank Peloso (Milford, Conn./Jonathan Law) to put runners on first and second. Stephen Clout (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) singled to second base to load the bases. A pass ball deep into the backstop allowed each runner to take a base, including Romanelli to nab home for UNH’s first run of the inning. Tom Rombilus (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) then singled that brought in Peloso and Clout for the 3-1 Charger lead.
UNH’s pitcher Chris Smith (Shelton, Conn./Emmett O'Brien Tech.) and UMass Lowell’s Leathersich kept the bats quite in the third inning. But in the fourth the River Hawks were posed for a comeback, however Smith got the Chargers out of the inning by striking out Jordan Kershaw (Seymour, Conn./Seymour) with bases loaded, preserving UNH’s 3-1 lead.
The game remained 3-1 in favor of the Chargers through the seventh inning. UMass Lowell added a run in the eighth to bring the game within one.
Looking to keep the game alive, the River Hawks added a run in the ninth inning to tie the game and force the Chargers to bat in the bottom of the inning. Luckily for UNH, UMass Lowell only managed one run while standing three on base.
Determined to end the game in nine innings, the Chargers put their first two batters on base on a single and an error. With runners on first and third, Rombilus was then intentionally walked to force the out at home. However, that didn’t help the River Hawks as Donnelly pocked a single in between second and right, allowing Peloso to score.
Donnelly paced the Chargers with three hits, while Rombilus and Jack Heary each added two apiece.
UNH’s closer, Mitch Rossi (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Central) got the win – his third of the season. Smith, who got the start, went for six innings while sticking out six.
Game Two
Stellar pitching was the name of the game in the nightcap. Only one run was scored through the first six innings. The River Hawks were the team to score when they strung a hit and two UNH errors together to force an unearned run.
The side was retired in the bottom half of the fifth as the Chargers struggled to get runners on base throughout the second game. UNH starting pitcher Alex Smith (Manchester, Conn./Manchester) recorded one strikeout, forced a ground out and a fly out in the UMass Lowell half of the sixth inning, while the Chargers put one of the game's three base runners in the bottom of the inning. Donnelly singled to the left side with two outs. David Wirkus (Orange, Conn./Fairfield Prep / St. Anselm College) then stepped to the plate as the go-ahead run, but could not spark a UNH comeback.
The River Hawks exploded with four runs on four hits in the seventh inning, taking a commanding 5-0 lead. The UNH bats went quiet in the final two innings and the River Hawks added their sixth run in the top of the ninth.
Smith suffered his first loss in four starts this season, while the River Hawks starter, Dustin Ramey, threw the complete game shutout.
Donnelly and Cory Carr (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) were the only two to register hits for the Chargers.
New Haven returns to action tomorrow afternoon at Pace University. The opening pitch in Pleasantville, N.Y. is set for 1 p.m.
