River Hawks’ Offense Shines in 17-3 Route at Holy Cross

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WORCESTER, Mass. – The UMass Lowell baseball team (5-13, 0-3 America East) picked up a fifth win of the season in a 17-3 route of the Holy Cross Crusaders (4-18, 0-0 Patriot League) at Fitton Field on Wednesday night. It was a milestone victory for River Hawks head coach Ken Harring, who picked up his 500^th career win.

“It was a complete team effort up and down the lineup tonight,” said Harring. “We put together great at-bats all night. Nice to see Brendan [Holland} get his first collegiate win, too. Now we can look forward to the home opener Friday.”

Freshman Brendan Holland (North Andover, Mass.) earned his first career win on Wednesday, pitching 5.0 innings. The freshman struck out two and allowed just one earned run. Senior Sal Fusco (Colonie, N.Y.) and graduate student Henry Funaro (Lowell, Mass.) both pitched 1.0 inning and struck out three hitters each.

At the plate, senior Gerry Siracusa (Kinnelon, N.J.) led the way with a team-high four RBIs on three hits. The senior also scored three runs and stole two bases. Sophomore Jimmy Sullivan (East Hampton, Conn.) had a team-high four hits in four at-bats and scored three runs. Junior Cedric Rose (Pittsfield, Mass.) tallied three RBIs on two hits and scored two runs.

The River Hawk offense was rolling from the start of the game as UMass Lowell got out to a 4-1 lead in the third inning. Siracusa’s single in the fourth made it a 5-1 game before back-to-back hits brought in a pair of runs to extend the lead to six. The hosts added one back in the bottom of the fourth, cutting the lead to 7-2.

UMass Lowell’s biggest inning of the night came in the sixth. Sophomore Fritz Genther (Kingston, N.Y.) scored from first on Siracusa’s double to start the inning. After adding another run, Rose hit a two-run shot to left field to stretch the lead to 11-2. A wild pitch scored another run for the River Hawks, giving the visitors a 10-run advantage.

Fusco entered the game in the sixth and sat all three batters he faced. Freshman Hayden Duke (Mattapoisett, Mass.) took the mound in the seventh, pitching another scoreless inning for the River Hawks.

The River Hawks continued to drive in runs late in the game, as junior Frank Wayman’s (Horseheads, N.Y.) pinch-hit RBI double kickstarted a four-run inning. UMass Lowell scored three runs to take a 16-3 lead into the final frame. After adding one more in the ninth, junior Brian Gaughan (Walpole, Mass.) closed the game with two strikeouts to secure the 17-3 victory.

UMass Lowell will host Binghamton on Friday afternoon in the River Hawks’ home opener. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. at Lelacheur Park.