Mike DiReda, Jeff Barbale lead Greyhound baseball past UMass Lowell, 5-2, in Northeast-10 Conference playoffs
May 8, 2009Assumption 5, Massaachusetts Lowell 2
RINDGE, NH --- Senior third baseman MIKE DIREDA (Shrewsbury, MA/Saint John's) hammered a three-run home run in the first inning to lead second-seeded Assumption College past sixth-seeded University of Massachusetts Lowell, 5-2, in the Northeast-10 Conference double-elimination playoffs here FRIDAY night at Pappas Field on the campus of Franklin Pierce University.
Senior righthander JEFF BARBALE (Charlton, MA/Saint Peter-Marian) pitched into the eighth inning and got solid relief help from junior righthanded closer TIM DUPUIS (Suffield, CT/Suffield High) to improve his record to 8-3. Dupuis registered his conference-leading ninth save of the season with three strikeouts over the final 1.1 innings.
In first game FRIDAY, fifth-seeded University of New Haven defeated top-seeded host Franklin Pierce, 5-4. The Greyhounds will now face New Haven SATURDAY at 3 p.m. in the winners bracket, while UMass Lowell and Franklin Pierce square off in an elimination game at 11 a.m.
The Greyhounds are now 31-17-1 overall and tied their all-time single season mark for victories. The team finished 31-12 in 1990. UMass Lowell is now 25-20.
Also, senior second baseman MIKE BAILLARGEON (Worcester, MA/Holy Name) had three singles to become the career hit leader in Greyhound baseball history with 256. Chris Madsen '00 finished his career with 253.
The Greyhounds struck quickly in this one as junior first baseman TIM SCAFIDI (Worcester, MA/Burncoat) singled across the first run followed by DiReda's seventh home run of the season which ran his personal RBI total to 40.
The River Hawks got on the board in the seventh inning as freshman outfielder MATT JACOBS (Hudson, MA/Hudson) tripled in one run and an infield grounder by junior first baseman TAYLOR VON KRIEGENBERG (Stoneham, MA/Stoneham) plated the second run.
The Greyhounds added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth as sophomore shortstop SHAWN FRIGON (Worcester, MA/Saint Peter-Marian) doubled and rode home on freshman catcher MIKE FOLEY (Shrewsbury, MA/Saint John's) sacrifice fly.
