University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
1-6
Harvard
3-5
Baseball Drops Opening Game To Harvard, 5-1
March 15, 2016 | Baseball
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Five extra base hits helped carry Harvard past University of Massachusetts baseball, 5-1 on Tuesday morning at Jack Russell Stadium. The loss leaves the Minutemen at 1-6 on the season, while the Crimson improve to 3-5 following the first of a two-game series between the squads.
In the bottom of the first, Harvard took a 1-0 lead after Mitch Klug reached base with a leadoff double and scored when the next batter, John Fallon, reached on an error. The Crimson later pushed their lead to 2-0 in the fifth with a solo home run by Fallon.
UMass cut the deficit in half in its next turn at bat. Junior Mike Hart led off the sixth with a single to left and senior John Jennings followed with a walk to set up a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Hunter Carey. With runners on second and third and one out, freshman Cooper Mrowka lofted a fly ball into right for a sacrifice fly that plated Hart.
However, Harvard responded with its second home run of the day, coming off the bat of Conor Quinn in the bottom half of the sixth. Later in the frame, the squad went on to increase the margin to 4-1 with a sacrifice fly by Devan Peterson.
The Crimson added the final run of the contest in the bottom of the seventh as Patrick McColl drove a two-out single through the left side, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI single by Matt Rothenberg.
Freshman Casey Aubin made his first collegiate start on the mound for the Minutemen and took the loss (0-1), allowing four runs, three earned, on seven hits with no walks and six strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work. Harvard starter Kevin Stone collected the win (1-1), pitching five scoreless innings and scattering four hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
Five Minutemen combined for the team’s six hits in the contest, paced by sophomore Brett Evangelista’s 2-for-3 day at the plate. Rothenberg went 3-for-3 to lead the Crimson offense to go along with a run scored and an RBI.
UMass and Harvard will meet for game two of the series between the squads tomorrow, Mar. 16, at 10 a.m. at Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater, Fla.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Stone,Kevin (1-1)
L: Aubin, Casey (0-1)
Batting:
RBI: Mrowka, Cooper 1
SH: Carey, Hunter 1
SF: Mrowka, Cooper 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hart, Mike 1
HBP: Evangelista, Brett 1 ; Avallone, Jon 1
PO: Evangelista, Brett 1
Batting:
2B: Klug,Mitch 1 ; Rothenberg,Matt 1 ; Bryan,Trent 1
HR: Fallon,John 1 ; Quinn,Conor 1
RBI: Fallon,John 1 ; Quinn,Conor 1 ; Rothenberg,Matt 1 ; Peterson,Devan 1
SF: Peterson,Devan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Klug,Mitch 1 ; Fallon,John 1 ; McColl,Patrick 1 ; Quinn,Conor 1 ; Rothenberg,Matt 1
SB: Rothenberg,Matt 1
CS: Fallon,John 1
HBP: Quinn,Conor 1 ; Rothenberg,Matt 1
