University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Liberty
Baseball Defeats Liberty 6-3
March 18, 2001 | Baseball
March 18, 2001
LYNCHBURG, Va. -- Junior righthanded pitcher Brian Hourigan (Beacon Falls, Conn.) struck out 10 batters in six innings of work to lead the University of Massachusetts baseball team to a 6-3 win at Liberty, giving the team its first victory of the young season. Hourigan allowed only one run, one walk and five hits on the afternoon. The Minutemen improve to 1-4 on the season with the win, while Liberty falls to 9-8.
UMass jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the third inning, thanks to a two-run homer by senior outfielder Nick Gorneault (Springfield, Mass.) and an RBI single from junior third baseman Aaron Senez (Springfield, Mass.). The Minutemen increased the lead to 4-0 in the top of the sixth inning, when freshman second baseman Adam Stojanowski (West Roxbury, Mass.) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Senez.
Liberty put its first run on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning on a solo home run by junior first baseman Kelly Knouse. The Flames then cut the UMass lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning, with two runs coming across the plate on a pair of balks. But the Minutemen would put the game away with two more runs in the top of the eighth, with Stojanowski delivering a two-run double.
UMass used a balanced offensive attack to pound out 12 hits in the game, with Gorneault, senior outfielder Gavin Clark (Springfield, Mass.), sophomore first baseman Jeff Altieri (Whitinsville, Mass.) and sophomore catcher Tom Ellerbrook (Northampton, Mass.) collecting two hits each. Senior righthanded pitcher Nick Skirkanich (Cheshire, Conn.) earned the save out of the Minuteman bullpen, striking out three in two-and-two thirds scoreless innings, while allowing only two hits and one walk.
The Minutemen will conclude their series at Liberty tomorrow, March 19, with a 2:30 p.m. game.
UMass 6, Liberty 3 UMass (1-4) 003 001 020 -- 6 12 3 Liberty (9-8) 000 001 200 -- 3 7 2 UM: Brian Hourigan, David Loonie (7), Nick Skirkanich (7) and Tom Ellerbrook, LU: Alex Dooley, Jason Jones (6), Matt Stewart (8), . Nat Ogborne (8) and Eric Cloninger, 2B: Adam Stojanowski (UM), HR: Nick Gorneault (UM), Kelly Knouse (LU). Win: Hourigan (1-1), Loss: Dooley (2-3), Save: Skirkanich (1).
