University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass To Host Crucial Series Against Saint Louis
May 10, 2007 | Baseball
May 10, 2007
AMHERST, Mass. - The UMass Minutemen (18-22, 10-11) will host the Saint Louis Billikens (13-34, 9-11)in a crucial three-game series, as both squads make a playoff push. UMass is looking to put a stop to its current four-game losing streak, which comes on the heels of a six game winning streak. UMass will wrap up the home portion of its season with the series against Saint Louis and a game against Quinnipiac on Tuesday.
The Minutemen currently sit in seventh place of the Atlantic 10, 1.5 games behind the St. Bonaventure Bonnies. Saint Louis occupies the eighth spot and is a half game back from UMass is the win column. With Saint Bonaventure visiting Atlantic 10-leading Charlotte, the Maroon and White may have a chance to gain significant ground.
After taking the first game of the series with Richmond in dramatic fashion, UMass suffered a letdown and dropped the final two games of the set.
During the week, the Maroon and White dropped a games to a pair of Huskies, Connecticut, 8-5, and Northeastern, 17-12. The Minutemen slugged three home runs in the two games. Bryan Adamski (South Deerfield, Mass.), Bill Rankin (Willington, Conn.) and Mike Donato (East Hartford, Conn.) each knocked a four-bagger, with Adamski's coming against UConn and the other two at Northeastern.
The Billikens, unlike the Minutemen who have played six games in eight days, will be fully rested as their previous game was a loss to Saint Joseph's on Sunday. After winning the previous two games, Saint Louis was unable to close out the sweep, which would have vaulted them ahead of UMass in the standings. Saint Louis struggles on the road, compiling a 5-20 record when playing away from The Billiken Sports Center.
Saint Louis carries a balanced attack on offense. Five Billiken hitters have two home runs and four have over 20 RBIs. The leading hitter for average is Tom Pinnella, who is hitting .313 and is the team's only batter about .300.
The Maroon and White will look to pounce on Billiken pitching as Saint Louis only has one starter, Eric Rohr (5-4), with a winning record. The team's three starters are all with 0.31 ERA points. Rohr, the staff ace, has tossed three complete games, which is two more than UMass' team total. Rohr's achilles heel has been home runs. He has allowed seven, five more than any other Saint Louis starter.
When the two teams, square off on Friday, it will be for the fourth time ever. UMass sweep the inaugural series at Saint Louis, who joined the Atlantic 10 last season. Current Minutemen Ryan Walczak (Taunton, Mass.) and Rory McDonald (East Longmeadow, Mass.) each earned a win in the second and third games, respectively.
First pitch on Friday is set for 3 p.m. Fans who cannot make the game can listen live on WMUA 91.1 and via UMassAthletics.com.
