River Hawks Split Twin Bill at Stony Brook

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STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Both teams used comebacks to split the doubleheader, as the UMass Lowell baseball team took game one, 6-5, before falling in the finale, 9-8, at Stony Brook on Saturday.

The River Hawks (10-14, 3-3) hit two homers during the day and were led by Colby Maiola‘s (North Reading, Mass.) four RBI and three hits. Cam Climo (Billerica, Mass.) drove in four, as well, and Steve Passatempo (Medford, Mass.) scored four times.

The Seawolves (15-10, 4-2) saw UMass Lowell erase a 5-1 deficit in the opening game, before overcoming a 7-3 hole of their own to clinch the series.

GAME 1

Trailing 5-1 entering the sixth, the visitors put together a late-inning rally for the second time in the series, sparked by Vinnie Martin‘s (Lodi, N.J.) leadoff single. After another single and a fielder’s choice to put runners on the corners, Maiola cut into the deficit with a single to make it a three-run deficit. Climo cut it to 5-4 with a double and tied the game on Joey Castellanos‘s (Nutley, N.J.) single.

After a scoreless seventh, Passatempo delivered a one-out triple and scored the decisive run on Maiola’s second hit of the contest to retake the lead at 6-5.

For the second time in as many games, UMass Lowell took the first lead on a solo home run, as Mark Tumosa (Willington, Conn.) sent his first career shot over the fence in left to lead off the third.

The Seawolves took control with five straight runs, including a three-run homer in the fourth inning after they tied it a 1-1 in their half of the third. A solo shot in the fifth gave the hosts the four-run advantage.

Henry Funaro (Lowell, Mass.) picked up his second win of the season, pitching two shutout innings after Jack Riley (Worcester, Mass.) went six full.

GAME 2

Trailing 3-0 into the third, the River Hawks scored five runs in the frame to take their first lead of the series finale. The two-out rally began with a Martin single and a double from Olive, with both runners scoring on Passatempo’s double. After a walk, Climo scored two on a two-bagger and Castellanos capped the spurt with a single to score the sophomore.

Maiola connected on a two-run shot in the fifth to extend the advantage to 7-3, but Stony Brook loaded the bases in the bottom half and tied the game with a walk, grounder, and a two-RBI single.

Olive put the guests back on top, 8-7, with his single in the sixth to score Tumosa, after a single and wild pitch moved him to second.

A two-run, two-out double was the difference for Stony Brook in the bottom of the eighth as the hosts held on for the win.

The River Hawks head to URI on April 3 for a mid-week matchup, before they are on the road for a conference series at Binghamton.