The baseball team hit the road to face off against the University of Massachusetts Lowell and the University of Richmond last weekend, winning one out of four games before closing out the week with a loss against Manhattan University in its first home game of the season.
The Leopards’ (2-13 overall) trip to Richmond, Virginia, started on a high note as they defeated UMass Lowell (4-10 overall) 6-5 on Friday. After the River Hawks got a run on the board in the bottom of the third, senior outfielder Easton Brenner tied up the game 1-1 with a sixth-inning home run.
The Leopards pulled ahead in the seventh courtesy of RBI singles from junior catcher Ethan Swidler and Brenner. The River Hawks responded to take the lead, but a 3-run home run by Swidler in the ninth turned the game in the Leopards’ favor. UMass Lowell pushed a final run in the bottom of the frame, but the Maroon and White limited the damage to hold onto the win.
In a Sunday rematch, the River Hawks came back with a vengeance to outscore the Leopards 17-6. Although the Leopards held an early 1-0 lead, UMass Lowell notched six runs across the fourth and the fifth before the Leopards scored again in the bottom of the sixth on a 2-run shot by senior infielder Michael Zarrillo.
The River Hawks added 11 runs across the next two innings to pull out of reach. Senior outfielder Kaleb Willis fought back with a 2-run home run in the bottom of the eighth, but the Leopards could not continue the rally.
The Leopards did not fare much better against Richmond (15-2 overall), suffering two defeats on Saturday and Sunday.
After the Spiders took a 1-run lead into the fifth, a single from Swidler brought freshman first baseman Liam Ebbs home, but the game did not remain tied for long as the Spiders stretched their lead, closing out the game with a 9-1 victory.
The Leopards put up three runs in the second inning against Richmond on Sunday, courtesy of an Ebbs sacrifice fly and a 2-run home run from freshman infielder Alex Barrist. Richmond returned fire, snagging a 4-3 lead. The Leopards remained scoreless for the rest of the game, and the Spiders rallied for an additional 12 runs for a 16-3 victory, sending the Leopards back home to Easton.
On Tuesday, the Leopards returned to Kamine Stadium to play Manhattan (6-8 overall) in their first matchup since 2013. The Jaspers secured an early lead, scoring eight runs in the first two innings.
Cashman returned the favor with a 3-run home run in the second inning. The Jaspers responded with two RBI singles and an RBI double in the fourth to stretch the lead to 12-3.
The Maroon and White attempted to close the gap with two runs in the fourth and another in the fifth. With the bases loaded at the bottom of the sixth, Cashman tripled to center field, sending three Leopards home. Junior utility player Ryan Ulisse brought him home on an RBI groundout to bring the deficit to two.
However, miscues between the pitcher and catcher cost the Leopards four runs as the Jaspers pulled ahead to 16-10. The Leopards fought back with a run in the seventh and two in the eighth, but Manhattan scored in the top of the ninth to win the game 17-13.
The 30 combined runs made it the Leopards’ highest-scoring game of the season.
The Leopards return to action this weekend at home with three games against the University of Pennsylvania (1-9 overall).
A.J. Miller, the head coach of the baseball team, declined comment on behalf of the entire baseball team.
