University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Harvard
Harvard Takes Two From UMass Baseball In Florida
March 17, 2015 | Baseball
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - The UMass baseball team managed to push across runs early in both contests, but was unable to hold off Harvard, falling in both seven-inning games of the teams' doubleheader on Wednesday at Chain of Lakes Park, 9-3 and 11-8. Following the losses, the Minutemen sit at 0-5 on the season, while Harvard levels its record at 7-7.
In game one, UMass capitalized on some early miscues by the Crimson in the field to plate the first two runs of the game in the top of the first. Redshirt senior Kyle Adie reached on an error and redshirt senior Rob McLam was hit by a pitch with one out. Then with two away, a dropped fly ball in right allowed redshirt senior Adam Picard to reach base and both Adie and McLam to come in.
The Crimson took one of the runs back in their first turn at bat. Drew Reid knocked a leadoff single up the middle and scored on a two-out single up the middle by Ethan Ferreira.
In the top of he second, the Minutemen responded with their third run of the day after sophomore Matt Bare doubled for his first collegiate hit and later crossed the plate on an RBI groundout by Adie.
However, Harvard went on to plate three in the bottom half on five hits to pull in front, 4-3 and proceeded to score in each of the squad's next four trips to the plate.
Tim Cassidy started on the mound for UMass and suffered the loss (0-1) as he surrendered five runs, four earned, on 10 hits in 2.1 innings and walked one. Kevin Rex collected the win (2-0) for the Crimson. He went four innings and let up three runs, one earned, on five hits with no walks and two strikeouts. T.J. Laurisch pitched the remaining three innings scoreless while allowing three hits and striking out two to register the save (1).
The Minutemen once again took advantage of early errors by Harvard to post a 3-0 lead in game two through one inning of play. After junior Vinny Scifo and Bare reached on errors with two away, sophomore Dylan Morris picked up a pair of RBI with his double to left center. Then, after Harvard's third error further extended the inning, freshman Hunter Carey drove in Morris with a single to center.
UMass increased its lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the second when Scifo lined an RBI single back up the middle to plate freshman Dylan Robinson who was hit by a pitch to begin the inning.
However, Harvard used a three-run third to close the gap to one, its first of three big innings in the contest. Reid and Jake McGuiggan traded places with back-to-back doubles to open up the inning and McGuiggan later scored the squad's second of the frame on a sacrifice fly by Ferreira. Tanner Anderson plated the Crimson's third with a single to right.
Following a scoreless fourth, Harvard broke the game open with five runs on five hits and one error in the top of the fifth, sending 11 batters to the plate.
Picard scored on an RBI double by Bryce Maher in UMass' next turn at bat after reaching with a walk, but the Crimson further widened the gap to 11-5 with three in the top of the sixth as a result of three straight singles.
The Minutemen collected their sixth run of the contest in the bottom of the sixth as Robinson singled up the middle and later came in on an error.
UMass had its first three batters in the seventh reach base, capped off with a pinch hit two-run single up the middle by Brett Evangelista that brought the score to 11-8, however Harvard reliever Sean O'Neill managed to quell the rally.
Kevin Hassett was hooked with the loss (0-1) for the Minutemen. He worked two innings of relief and let up five runs on six hits with two walks and no strikeouts. Greg Coman tossed 2.2 innings out of the bullpen for Harvard and notched the win (1-0) as he allowed one run on one hit, walked two and fanned four.
Maher paced UMass at the plate in the doubleheader, going 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Bare and Morris each scored a pair, while Morris drove in two, as well.
For the Crimson, Reid finished the pair of games 4-for-6 at the plate with a double an RBI and four runs scored. McGuiggan and Ferreira both went 4-for-7 with three RBI apiece.
The Minutemen will next travel to Dayton, Ohio, where the squad will begin Atlantic 10 play with a three-game series at Dayton, starting with game one on Friday, March 20, at 3 p.m.
