Harvard Baseball Darts Past UMass Lowell, 9-4

Recap, photo courtesy of Harvard University

Rothenberg and McColl tallied two RBI apiece (Elan Kawesch).
LOWELL, Mass. - Taking the field for its final non-conference game of 2016, Harvard baseball got out to an early lead and did not relent, topping UMass Lowell, 9-4, on Wednesday at LeLacheur Park.

Sophomore Matt Rothenberg and junior Josh Ellis tallied three hits apiece to lead the offense, with Rothenberg and freshman Patrick McColl driving in a game-high two runs apiece. Senior DJ Link tallied two hits, while junior Drew Reid and freshman Ben Skinner also tallied base hits.

Senior Shaun Rubin got the start on the mound in a staff game, going two innings with one strikeouts and one earned run, while seniors Matt Sanders, Joey Sliepka, and TJ Laurisch and sophomore Dylan Combs threw scoreless frames in relief.

McColl put Harvard on the board with an RBI-single in the top of the first, plating Ellis. Harvard put up four runs in the second, scoring twice off of wild pitches and once after a passed ball. Rothenberg added an RBI triple in the inning that plated senior Mitch Klug.

The River Hawks tallied a run in the second, but the Crimson responded with two runs in the top of the fourth to take a 7-1 lead. Rothenberg doubled to left center to score Klug, and scored himself after an RBI single by McColl to center field.

UMass Lowell put three on the board in the seventh, but two runs in the ninth by Harvard put the game out of reach. Freshman Trent Bryan scored after an error, and Ellis tallied an RBI triple to score Skinner, extending the lead to 9-4.

Harvard concludes its conference slate April 30-May 1 with home and home doubleheaders against Dartmouth. The Saturday contests will be broadcast on ESPN3, and the entire series can be seen on the Ivy League Digital Network.