UMass Heads South for Four Against Towson

University of Massachusetts Baseball Game Notes
Games 8-11 Date // Time	Massachusetts (4-3) at Towson (2-13) Sat., March 20 // Noon (9-inning doubleheader) Sun., March 21 // Noon (7-inning doubleheader)
Location	Towson, Md. (John B. Schuerholz Park)
Series History	First meeting
Live Statistics	StatBroadcast Game 1 // Game 2 // Game 3 // Game 4
Streaming	Stretch Internet Game 1 // Game 2 // Game 3 // Game 4
Twitter	@UMassBaseball \| @UMassAthletics \| @CoachReynolds25
Instagram	UMass Baseball \| UMass Athletics

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Setting the Scene
University of Massachusetts baseball travels to Towson, Maryland, for a four-game series against Towson. The teams will play a doubleheader on Sat., March 20, and a seven-inning doubleheader on Sun., March 21. Each doubleheader is set to begin at noon at John B. Schuerholz Park.

The weekend matchup will be the first ever meeting between the two programs. The last time the Minutemen won against a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) opponent was when UMass defeated Northeastern, 6-5, in the Beanpot Consolation on April 19, 2017.

Recap in a Minute
Massachusetts enters the weekend series with a 4-3 overall record. The Maroon and White are coming off a three-game series with Merrimack last Friday-Sunday. UMass jumped to a 2-0 lead in the series after defeating the Warriors 6-4 on Friday and 11-4 on Saturday, before falling, 3-1, on Sunday.

In the first game of the weekend, the Minutemen rallied in the seventh inning to score three runs to come back from a 4-1 deficit and added two more runs in the eighth to secure the 6-4 victory. Eddy Hart tied a career-high three runs scored out of the leadoff spot, while Kevin Skagerlind went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run.

After an early one run lead by the Warriors in the second game of the series, UMass put up four runs in the third, two in the fourth, and four more in the fifth frame to cushion a 10-1 advantage, before an additional run in the eighth inning secured an 11-4 triumph. Three Minutemen recorded multi-hit performances, while the team tallied 10 walks on the day.

During the final game of the series, Merrimack totaled two runs at the bottom of the first to take the lead. Massachusetts was able to cut the deficit in half after Skagerlind scored a run for the Maroon and White on throw down to third that got away from Merrimack's Alex Haba at the top of the third frame. The Warriors were able to get another run at the bottom of the third to assure the 3-1 win.

Meet the Minutemen
A solid mix of returners and newcomers compose the 2021 edition of the Minutemen as the squad begins its 138th season of competition. Twenty-two members of the team are back from the abbreviated 2020 campaign, while thirteen players are in their first season in Amherst, including seven freshmen and six transfers. A complete roster is available here.

Keeping it in the Family
The 2021 season marks the 55th straight campaign that Massachusetts baseball will have an alumnus of the Flagship campus as head coach. Fourth-year skipper Matt Reynolds is a double graduate (2005, '10G), and was preceded by fellow alumni Mike Stone '82 (1988-2017) and Dick Bergquist '57 (1967-87).

This is the second longest active streak across Division I baseball. Only BYU (62 consecutive seasons) has been led by an alum of its campus for a longer period.

On Deck
The Minutemen hit the road to take on in-state foe Holy Cross on Wednesday, March 24, at 5 p.m.

Due to the ever-evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, game dates, times and opponents are subject to change. The best way to remain on top of schedule updates is via the official UMass baseball schedule page, as well as the team's social media accounts (@UMassBaseball).

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Players Mentioned

Eddy Hart

Kevin Skagerlind

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University of Massachusets Athletics