Purritano Triples His Pleasure in Twinbill Sweep at UMass Lowell

Tuesday, April 14

Lowell, Mass.

3:00 PM

Dartmouth College

11-19

UMass Lowell

7-17

Dartmouth

UMass Lowell

Purritano Triples His Pleasure in Twinbill Sweep at UMass Lowell

4/14/2015 8:22:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Dartmouth

LOWELL, Mass. — Junior Joe Purritano ripped a trio of two-run triples on the day to help visiting Dartmouth take both ends of a doubleheader from UMass Lowell on Tuesday afternoon at LeLacheur Park. Freshman Jack Fossand, making his first collegiate appearance, picked up the win in the 6-5, opening-game victory, and senior Chris England allowed just two runs in 5.2 innings in the nightcap to earn his first victory of the season in a 4-2 triumph as the Big Green (12-19) extended their winning streak to six games with the two seven-inning contests.

The RiverHawks (7-18) jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings against freshman Sam Fichthorn to start the day. The first two tallies came in the first on a two-run triple to right-center off the bat of Ian Strom, but he was left stranded there when Fichthorn got the third out on a swinging third strike. In the second, Nick Barry and Matthew Sanchez both singled to put runners on the corners, then pulled off a double steal with Barry scoring on the play.

But Dartmouth rallied back in the third to tie the score as Purritano hit his first two-run triple with two down after sophomore John Melody had walked and senior Matt Parisi had singled. Moments later, Purritano dashed across the plate on a wild pitch.

Fichthorn finished up his scheduled three innings on the mound having allowed just one earned run, thanks in part to a runner being gunned down at the plate, before giving way to his classmate Fossand. Barry greeted him with a leadoff single and took second on a sacrifice bunt, but after a two-out bunt single put runners on the corners, Fossand managed to escape the inning unscathed by pumping a third strike for the third out.

Purritano was back at it again in the top of the fifth, lacing his second two-run triple of the game — this time into the right-field corner — to score senior Bo Patterson and freshman Dustin Shirley who had singled and been hit by a pitch, respectively. Junior Michael Ketchmark then drove in Purritano with a sacrifice fly to center, putting the Big Green up 6-3.

Fossand threw a scoreless fifth before leaving the game in the sixth following a one-out single and a walk. Joe Consolmagno was hit by an Adam Frank pitch to load the bases, then Danny Mendick sent a ball back through the middle for a two-run single. Another pitching change brought sophomore Chris Burkholder to the mound, and he plunked Jimmy Ricoy to load the bases once again. But he fanned the next two hitters to preserve the 6-5 lead.

Burkholder finished off UMass Lowell in the seventh, making quick work of the RiverHawks by retiring the side in order for his first save and giving Fossand (1-0) the victory.

Steve Xirinachs (0-2) took the loss for surrendering the last three runs on four hits in four innings of relief.

In the second game, the RiverHawks once again struck first. Strom singled and stole second in the second inning, then sprinted home on a Brice Erickson single to right. UMass Lowell took a 2-0 lead in the third on a Kelly Rooney single, a passed ball and a pair of grounders.

Dartmouth finally got to Brendan Shea in the fifth, beginning with a leadoff single by freshman Justin Fowler and another one by freshman Hayden Rappoport. Patterson bunted the pair to second and third and sophomore Ben Socher walked to load the bases. Shirley lofted a sacrifice fly to center to get the Green on the board, and Purritano followed with a booming triple to right-center for two more RBIs and a 3-2 advantage. Shea was lifted at that point in favor of Thulani Denaro, who uncorked a wild pitch to allow Purritano to score an insurance run.

England (1-2) exited with a runner on second and two outs in the sixth having surrendered the two RiverHawk runs on five hits without a walk while striking out four. Freshman Patrick Peterson got a called third strike to end the threat, then pitched a perfect seventh with another punchout to pick up his third save of the season.

Ketchmark had two of the seven Big Green hits in the game while Purritano was 1-for-3 with the decisive two-run triple.

Shea (0-3) was dealt the defeat having yielded four runs on six hits and a walk with two strikeouts over 4.2 frames.

Dartmouth returns home this weekend to protect its three-game lead in the Rolfe Division of the Ivy League when it hosts Brown (8-22, 4-8 Ivy) in noon doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday. The games will be shown live on Big Green Insider via the Ivy League Digital Network with Wayne Young '72 calling the action. Visit IvyLeagueDigitalNetwork.com for more information on how to subscribe. UMass Lowell will host UMBC in a three-game America East series, beginning with a noon twinbill on Saturday.

Notes: Purritano's two three-baggers in the opener tied a Dartmouth record that had been achieved 20 times previously dating back to 1924. Jeff Keller '14 was the last Big Green hitter to accomplish the feat in 2011 … the last three times a Dartmouth player had hit two triples in a game were all against Saint Anselm in three consecutive years (2009-11) … Purritano began the day without a triple and is now tied for the Ivy League lead.