University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutemen Host Hawks In Final Home A-10 Series
May 12, 2006 | Baseball
May 12, 2006
AMHRST, Mass. - The UMass baseball team (12-26, 9-12 Atlantic 10) is set to face Saint Joseph's (16-34, 8-13 A-10) in an A-10 weekend series. The Minutemen are coming off an 11-1 victory over Central Connecticut Wednesday. UMass is currently two games out of a playoff spot, while the Hawks are one game behind the Minutemen, making this weekend's series pivotal to both ball clubs.
The Minutemen pounded out 11 runs on 11 hits against Central Connecticut in their last game out. Leading the team was sophomore catcher Bryan Garrity (Peabody, Mass.). The captain broke out with a 2-5 effort and drove in five runs. He is now hitting .283 with a home run and 22 RBI. Junior Travis Munsey (Manchester, N.H.) also continued his hot hitting with two hits, a RBI and a run scored. He has hit at a .392 clip over his last eight games. He has put together a .300 batting average this season with 10 runs and nine RBI.
Sophomore Ryan Franczek (Chicopee, Mass.) has quietly put together a great offensive year for the Minutemen. He went 3-7 with three runs in the two games this past week and he is leading the team in average (.326), runs (28), and triples (3). Batting in the leadoff spot, he has put the team in a position to score runs with a .425 on-base percentage.
UMass will most likely send their usual weekend starters to the mound. Senior David Sullivan (Winchester, Mass.) pitched a solid game his last outing against St. Bonaventure as he went 8 2/3 innings letting up only three earned runs. He was, however, tagged with the loss as the Bonnies downed the Minutemen 7-3. He comes into the weekend with a 3-6 record and 5.37 ERA.
Junior Chris Lloyd (North Adams, Mass.) also turned in a quality start on Saturday turning in seven innings while only allowing four runs. He has slowly improved every start this year and hopes to be able to record his first victory this weekend. He brings an 0-4 record to the mound with a 6.39 ERA and 28 strikeouts.
Juinor Rory McDonald (East Longmeadow, Mass.) will likely round out the starting rotation of the weekend series against the Hawks. McDonald threw in the only victory UMass had last weekend pitching five innings and allowing four earned runs. He has a 2-3 record with a 4.87 ERA and 27 strikeouts.
The Hawks of St. Joe's have struggled offensively. They come into the game with a team batting average of .260. Junior first baseman Mike Gentile leads the team in average (.312), runs (32), RBI (25), and doubles (13). They have also struggled to find consistent starts from their pitchers and have put together a team ERA of 6.61.
This series will be played on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. All games are scheduled to start at noon. Sunday will be the 2006 Senior Day where Minutemen seniors Derrick Durepo (Ware, Mass.) and Sullivan will be honored in a pre-game ceremony. Admission to Earl Lorden Field, located behind the Mullins Center ice rink, is free to all. Fans unable to make it to the game can listen to the games on umassathletics.com or follow the games via Gametracker. Check umassathletics.com after each game for updated stats and game recaps.
