MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm baseball team hosted the University of Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks this afternoon in a makeup of yesterday's Northeast-10 Conference game.  The Hawks tied the game in the bottom of the fourth, but Mark Sanborn scored the game-winner in the top of the seventh to give the River Hawks a 3-2 victory.  The win lifts the River Hawks to 17-12 (6-6 NE-10), while the Hawks fall to 5-17 (3-8 NE-10).

Matt Jacobs led off the top of the first inning with a hit to the gap in left-center.  What looked like a great start for the River Hawks turned into a chance for the Hawks to shine, as TJ Murphy (Reading, Mass.) gunned the ball to second base to catch Jacobs as he tried to stretch his hit into a double.

The Hawks had similar luck in the bottom of the first, as Joshua Lafond (Goffstown, N.H.) led off with a walk and got to second on a wild pitch.  After the next two batters were retired, Matt Sucharewicz (Peabody, Mass.) roped a single to right-center.  With two outs, Lafond was running on contact and it seemed as though he would score easily, but centerfielder Matt Jacobs made up for his mistake on the bases, throwing out Lafond at the plate for the final out of the inning.

Jared Notargiacomo started the top of the second inning with a blooper to shallow right that second baseman Steven Panza (Watertown, Mass.) was unable to hold onto.  J.T. Leary made it first and second with a single to short, and Taylor von Kriegenbergh drove in the first run of the game with a single to right field.  Mark Sanborn then sent Leary home with a ground out to third base, giving the River Hawks an early 2-0 lead.

The Hawks stranded the leadoff man at second in the next two innings, but in the bottom of the fourth, Sucharewicz led off with a single up the middle.  Daniel DeCoste (Chelmsford, Mass.) traded places with him, getting on by a fielder's choice by the third baseman.  TJ Murphy got his first hit of the day with a double to right-center to make it second and third with one out.  James Garrigan (Plymouth, Mass.) then stepped up to the plate and drove a 3-1 pitch deep in the gap in left-centerfield for a two-RBI double to tie the game, 2-2.

The fifth and sixth innings were uneventful, but in the top of the seventh, Mark Sanborn got things started with a single up the middle.  Jordan Silva laid down a perfect bunt to get on base with an infield single.  Hawk starter David Giarrusso (Cranston, R.I.) drew a fly out from Matt Jacobs for the second out of the inning, but then Sean Burns smashed an RBI double over the centerfielder's head to knock in the go-ahead run for the River Hawks.

The Hawks had a chance to score in the bottom of the eighth, when Murphy and Garrigan hit back-to-back singles with two outs.  Robert Kelly (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), fresh off the bench to pinch hit for Eric Baca (Franklin, N.H.), had a chance to tie the game, but he hit a nubber off the end of the bat, grounding out to the third baseman in a close play at first.  River Hawk reliever Matt Monico eliminated any other chance for a Hawk comeback, retiring the final three Hawks in order in the bottom of the ninth and preserving the 3-2 victory for UMass-Lowell.

Garrett Cole started on the mound for the River Hawks.  He lasted 3.2 innings, allowing both runs on six hits and a walk while striking out two batters.  Matt Monico then pitched the remaining 5.1 innings, allowing just four hits and earning his third win.  David Giarrusso pitched seven solid innings for the Hawks, allowing three runs, two earned, on nine hits and no walks, but took the loss.  Sean Hayden (Haverhill, Mass.) pitched the final two innings in relief and did not surrender a hit or a run.  TJ Murphy went 3-for-4 with a double and scored the tying run.  James Garrigan went 2-for-4 with a double and drove in both of the Hawks' runs.

The Hawks travel to Lowell, Mass., tomorrow afternoon for a rematch with the River Hawks beginning at 3:30 pm.