Baltimore, Md.—UMBC baseball, winners of their last two, host UMass Lowell to end their eight game home stand this weekend. The Retrievers once again took the game to the limit, as Anthony Gatto (Hauppauge, N.Y./Smithtown West) had the walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to lead UMBC to a 5-4 victory against Navy on Wednesday. UMBC sits at 7-10, 1-1 AE on the year.
UMass Lowell Series Info:
What: UMBC Retrievers (7-10, 1-1 AE) vs. UMass Lowell River Hawks (9-7, 0-0 AE)
When: Saturday, March 26 (DH) starting at 3 p.m. and Sunday, March 27 starting at 1 p.m.
Where: Alumni Field – Baltimore, Md.
How to Watch: Live Stats available on UMBCRetrievers.com
Social Media: @UMBCBaseball, @UMBCAthletics, @AmericaEast, #AEBASE, #GritAndGlory
Probable Pitching Matchups:
Game 1: UMBC RHP Riley Stephenson (0-2, 3.63 ERA) vs. UML RHP Andrew Ryan (3-1, 1.08 ERA)
Game 2: UMBC RHP Conrad Wozniak (1-2, 5.75 ERA) vs. UML RHP Steve Xirinachs (0-3, 3.20 ERA)
Game 3: UMBC RHP Matt Chanin (0-3, 10.59 ERA) vs. UML RHP Nick Kuzia (2-1, 2.66 ERA)
Scouting the Retrievers (7-10, 1-1 AE):
-UMBC comes into the weekend series at 7-10, 1-1 AE on the year, winners of their last two. The cardiac Dawgs once again needed the last batter of the game to win, as Anthony Gatto (Hauppauge, N.Y./Smithtown West) capped off a 5-5 day with an RBI single in the ninth to plate AJ Wright (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) in a 5-4 victory against Navy.
-Lachance leads the team offensively, hitting .478 through 17 games. He leads the team in hits (33), home runs (4) and RBI (16) as well as swiping ten bases in 12 tries and is second in the nation in batting average. Classmates Anthony Gatto and Nick Naumann (Essex, Md./John Carroll/Chestnut Hill) are two–three on the team in hitting, with averages of .415 and .343 respectively.
-On the mound, Riley Stephenson (Meridian, Idaho/Boonsboro) leads the rotation with a 3.63 ERA and an 0-2 record in three starts. He has thrown the second most innings on the team, 17.1, just three innings less than Conrad Wozniak (Cypress, Texas/Cypress Woods/Frank Phillip). Wozniak has thrown the most strikeouts, fanning 17 batters in 20.1 innings.
Scouting the River Hawks (9-7, 0-0 AE):
-UMass Lowell heads to Baltimore at 9-7 overall, not having played in conference yet. Most recently, the River Hawks knocked off Holy Cross, 5-2 on Wednesday. A pair of River Hawks had multiple hits, as UMass Lowell scored four runs in the fifth to put the Crusaders.
-Joe Consolmagno leads the team with a .382 batting average, having played in every game for the River Hawks. He leads the team with 21 hits and ten runs scored and five RBI. Steve Passatempo is leading the team with 16 RBI and five home runs and 15 hits.
-The River Hawks pitching staff has a collective ERA of 3.00, as the three probable starters this weekend all have ERA's under 4.00. Andrew Ryan leads the staff with a 1.08 ERA in four starts, going 3-1 in those starts. He has thrown 25 innings giving up just six runs, three earned. He leads the team with 22 strikeouts.
All-Time Series:
-UMass Lowell holds a 5-1 lead in the all-time series in six meetings. Last year the Retrievers picked up their first win in the series with a 6-2 victory in Lowell at LeLacheur Park on April 18.
-The Retrievers are 0-3 all-time in games played at Alumni Field.
Up Next:
-UMBC will head to George Washington on Tuesday, March 29 at 3 p.m., before hosting Mount St. Mary's next weekend with a double-header on Saturday. The two will then head to Emmitsburg for a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
