Siena, La Salle Conclude Baseball’s Eight-Game Homestand

University of Massachusetts Baseball Game Notes
Games 27-30 Date \| Time	Massachusetts (10-16) vs. Siena (7-25) Tues., April 17 \| 3 p.m. Massachusetts vs. La Salle Fri., April 20-Sun., April 22 \| 3 p.m./1 p.m./Noon
Location	Amherst, Mass. (Earl Lorden Field) \| Directions
Series History	Siena: Massachusetts leads, 16-13 La Salle: Massachusetts leads, 27-16
Live Video	Atlantic 10 Digital Network
Live Statistics	Sidearm Stats
Twitter	@UMassBaseball \| @UMassAthletics
Instagram	UMass Baseball \| UMass Athletics
Season Statistics	Massachusetts \| Siena \| La Salle

Batting Practice
An eight-game homestand wraps up this week for University of Massachusetts baseball as the Minutemen play host to Siena (Wed., April 17) and Atlantic 10 foe La Salle (Fri., April 20-Sun., April 22) at Earl Lorden Field. Fans should note that UMass was also scheduled to host regional rival UConn on Tues., April 17, but this game was postponed due to inclement weather. A makeup date and time for the UConn game has not yet been determined.

Recap In A Minute
The Minutemen were dealt a doubleheader sweep by Rhode Island on Sat., April 14 by margins of 3-1 and 6-3. With only single games originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, the twin bill was played as a result of inclement weather expected on Sunday. Sean Harney received the starting nod in the opener on Saturday and did not allow a hit in his 5.2 innings of work.

UMass came away with a thrilling 4-3 walk-off victory to open the Rhody series on Friday. After Logan Greene squibbed a leadoff single in the ninth inning, pinch runner Luke Oliphant stole second base and advanced to third on a wild pitch. On a payoff pitch, Ryan Lever then lined a base hit up the middle to plate Oliphant and give the home squad the win.

Scouting Siena
At 6-6 in the MAAC and tied for fifth in the conference standings, Siena pocketed a 12-4 win at Quinnipiac in a doubleheader nightcap on Sat., April 14. Joe Drpich hit two home runs on the day including a three-run shot in the finale to deal the Bobcats their first loss in the league.

As a team the Saints are hitting .254, a mark led by Phil Madonna (.352) and Brian Kelly (.333). Drpich has clubbed a team-high seven homers throughout the year, collecting 22 RBIs in the process.

Prior to visiting Earl Lorden Field, the Saints will face Central Connecticut on Tues., April 17.

Scouting La Salle
Tied with Dayton for 12th in the Atlantic 10, La Salle (8-22, 2-7 A-10) had two one-run games last weekend versus Fordham but the Rams swept the sides' doubleheader on Sat., April 14. Fordham posted multiple runs in the first inning of each game and would not look back en route to 4-3 and 12-8 outcomes.

Ben Faso has started all but one game on the season and put together an impressive .356 average at the plate, which ranks fourth in the conference. Faso has also hit safely in 18 of his last 20 games. In addition to collecting 13 RBIs and a .333 clip, two-way player Austin Constantini has shut the door with three saves in 2018.

'Hart' Of Gold
Second baseman Eddy Hart hit .350 over UMass' five games last week and is second on the team with a .302 clip on the season. A native of Middleboro, Massachusetts, Hart finished just a triple short of the cycle in UMass' walk-off win over the Rams on Friday afternoon.

The most recent cycle across the country came just a few hours after Hart's performance. On Friday night, Abilene Christian's Matt Muñoz accomplished the feat in a 23-20 slugfest defeat to Houston Baptist.

Notes From The Rubber
Justin Lasko tossed eight innings for the second time in his last three outings on April 13 in the walk-off win over Rhode Island. Although Lasko received a no-decision this time around, he held the Rams to three runs on seven hits while amassing four strikeouts.

The following day in the opening matchup of the sides' doubleheader, Sean Harney was outstanding on the mound. In just his second collegiate start, Harney worked 5.2 innings and took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. A fortuitous bounce ended the no-hit bid shortly after he was relieved, but Harney still managed five Ks on the day and was on the hook for only a single run.

Scott Barnsby was the last Minuteman to deal a no-no, going the distance at Fenway Park against Northeastern on April 22, 1997, leading UMass to a 1-0 victory in the Semifinal round of the Beanpot.

Now Leaving Earl Lorden Field
Three different Minutemen in Marcus Fry, Logan Greene and Connor Smith each homered for the first time in their respective careers in the St. Bonaventure series from March 30-April 1. Greene's three-run shot came with the Minutemen down to their final out on Sat., March 31 and forced extra innings, while Smith left the yard with a solo dinger in the second inning. In the fourth inning on Sun., April 1, Fry smacked a 3-0 pitch into the trees beyond right center field to join the long ball festivities.

Call Them The Comeback Kids
In a sweep of Bucknell from March 12-14, Massachusetts was forced to come from behind in each of the three matchups. The last time the Minutemen eliminated consecutive deficits en route to a three-game series sweep was on May 8 and May 9, 2001, when UMass claimed both doubleheader tilts against Saint Joseph's (13-8 and 9-5) before posting an 11-9 triumph to close the weekend.

That year the Maroon and White won the Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championship after going 16-6 in the league, ultimately finishing the campaign with an overall record of 27-19.

Not To Be Confused With Brothers Osborne
The Minuteman pitching staff features one set of twin brothers in sophomores Brooks Knapek and Carter Knapek. The duo threw back-to-back in a win over Central Connecticut on Sun., March 11, with Brooks earning the win after four no-hit innings of relief, during which he struck out four and surrendered just one walk. Carter then entered for the ninth and collected his first career save. That capped a strong day on the mound for the Minutemen as Justin Lasko started on the hill, striking out five over his four innings of work.

Welcome Back, Coach
A former UMass infielder and captain, head coach Matt Reynolds returns to the Pioneer Valley after three years (2014-17) guiding Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland and seven seasons as an assistant coach at Navy (2007-14).

Prior to Navy, Reynolds served as a graduate assistant under Mike Stone at UMass for three seasons (2005-07). He played his final two collegiate seasons in Amherst after transferring from the University of Maine. He earned Atlantic 10 All-Tournament Team honors in 2003 and was named the Minutemen's Most Valuable Player the following year.

On Deck
Following the La Salle series, the Minutemen are not home again until Wed., May 2. In the interim, the squad visits Quinnipiac (April 25), George Mason (April 27-29) and Hartford (May 1).

Follow UMass Baseball
Follow UMass baseball on Twitter (@UMassBaseball), Instagram (UMassBaseball) and Facebook (UMass Baseball) for the latest news and updates around the team.

Scoreboard

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Marcus Fry

Logan Greene

Sean Harney

Eddy Hart

Brooks Knapek

Carter Knapek

Justin Lasko

Ryan Lever

Luke Oliphant

Connor Smith

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics