Freshman infielder Oscar Marchena makes an unreal catch in shallow right field (Photo courtesy of George DeLuca/Connector).
Hannah Manning
Connector Editor
The UMass Lowell River Hawks fell to the Harvard Crimson, 9-4, on Wednesday night at LeLacheur Park. The River Hawks fell to a 17-20 record with their second straight defeat. They scored three runs in the seventh inning in order to give the Crimson a good enough scare that they had to take a meeting on the mound after the third run.
By the time that the River Hawks earned their first hit of the game, Harvard had scored five runs. They trailed by nine runs until the seventh inning, where they scored four runs to take the total to 11-6. The River Hawks ended the game trailing by five runs, 12-7.
During the game, the River Hawks cycled through six pitchers. Freshman pitcher Ricky Constant was the starter for UMass Lowell, and in his first collegiate home start had a difficult second inning. At the end of his time, he posted a 7.62 ERA. He was relieved in the fourth inning by fellow freshman Kendall Pomeroy, who pitched for only one inning before junior Matt Kerin came in to replace him. Collin Duffley and David Hoar III followed in suit. Sophomore Dan Cunico closed out the game.
The second inning was where Harvard had most of their success, where they scored five runs. Their first run of the inning occurred off of a wild pitch by freshman pitcher Ricky Constant. The Crimson player crossed home plate just before Constant could catch him to call him out. Unfortunately for the River Hawks, Harvard embarked on an offensive onslaught, scoring their third run immediately after the second.
Harvard’s speed along with UMass Lowell’s struggles on the mound and in the infield contributed to the disastrous second inning. After a second wild pitch, Harvard capitalized and scored their fifth run of the game, and their fourth of the inning.
It took the River Hawks until the bottom of the second to get their first hit. Freshman infielder Chris Sharpe singled, and after his efforts another player singled. It seemed as though the River Hawks were on their way to making a comeback in LeLacheur Park. After junior third base Zach Tower singled, Sharpe ran for home and put UMass Lowell on the board for their first run of the game.
They entered a stasis then, having only two hits until the seventh inning, where they exploded. Junior outfielder Ian Strom hit a hard drive to right field and singled when the Harvard outfielder dropped the ball. As a result, sophomore infielder Tyler Noe advanced to third base. The next runner for the River Hawks, freshman infielder Oscar Marchena, bunted and Noe ran home to score the River Hawk’s second run of the game. Strom stood on second, and Marchena on first.
Senior outfielder Joe Consolmagno hit a single and Strom crossed home plate, and the score stood at a less imposing 7-3 deficit for the River Hawks. The River Hawks made as much work as they could with any singles they scored, as Steve Passatempo’s single brought Marchena home for the River Hawk’s fourth run of the game, and third of the inning.
The River Hawks continued their offensive momentum on to the eighth inning, where they were poised to score again, had Strom’s single not been caught. They were also able to stifle Harvard’s offense after the fourth inning, when the Crimson scored two runs in a bunch. After the fourth inning, the River Hawks allowed only one hit, in the top of the ninth inning.
UMass Lowell was able to end Harvard’s plays when they played in the infield, but their outfield play was not nearly as strong, which contributed to the lopsided score in the first half of the game. But they persevered and crawled back to the point where spectators were not sure by the top of the ninth inning as to who would win the game.
The River Hawks will head to Orono, Maine to embark on a weekend series against the Black Bears before returning to Lowell on the weekend of May 7 to play the University of Maryland – Baltimore County Retrievers. The first game at LeLacheur will be May 7 at 12 PM.
