Jared Freni named A-10 Rookie of the Week

Baseball
Eli Rosenswaike

Freshman starting pitcher Jared Freni (Malden, Mass.) became the first Minuteman in 2007 to be honored with an award by the Atlantic 10 today.

The right-hander was named A-10 Rookie of the Week after shutting out the Dayton Flyers in 6 1/3 innings of work on Sunday. The 4-2 victory on Sunday gave Freni his second win of the season and evened UMass' conference record to 9-9. The win also completed a three-game sweep of the Flyers over the weekend.

On the season, Freni is 2-3 with a 5.55 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings pitched. All eight of his appearances have been starts.

The last award for a Minuteman baseball player issued by the A-10 was over a year ago, when Adam Tempesta won the same award on April 17, 2006.

Cullington ties Kelley's HR mark as Minutewomen sweep Colonials

Softball
Jeremy Rice

The Massachusetts softball team continued its dominance of the A-10 by sweeping George Washington (20-23, 8-10) in a double header Sunday.

Stacy Cullington and Amanda Acampora both hit a pair of home runs to lead UMass (29-12-1, 14-0 Atlantic 10) to 4-2, and 9-1 wins today at the UMass Softball Complex. Samantha Salato also hit her second home run of the season in Game 1.

Cullington now has 14 homers on the year tying former UMass great and current assistant coach KJ Kelley for the school's single-season home run record. She has five games left in the regular season to break that mark.

Brandice Balschmiter pitched Game 1, picking up her 21st win on the year, while freshman Bailey Sanders got the 'W' in the second game, upping her record to 8-4.

UMass plays Boston College Tuesday at home before wrapping up the A-1o schedule this weekend against Fordham and La Salle.

Typadis moves closer to record

Women's Lacrosse
Kevin Dooley

The Massachusetts women's lacrosse team picked up its second conference win of the season Friday afternoon, defeating the St. Joseph's Hawks 9-5 at McGuirk Stadium.

Junior attacker Kathleen Typadis entered the weekend with 42 goals under her belt, 10 goals shy of becoming UMass' all-time single season goal leader. Typadis found the back of the net five times Friday and has one more game against LaSalle Sunday to break the record.

The junior attacker couldn't have asked for a team which gives her more of a chance of breaking that record than LaSalle. Typadis has scored five goals in each of her two games against Lasalle. The Explorers are also giving up over 13.5 goals a contest in 2007. While Typadis was humble about coming closer to breaking the record, she did admit it would be nice to break the record at home.

UMass only surrendered five goals, the fewest amout all season. The last time the Minutewomen gave up five goals or less was back in 2003 in a 15-4 win over LaSalle.

With the win Friday, UMass knocked out the Hawks out of postseason contention.

Down but not out

Softball
Joe Meloni

After a rough first inning, the Massachusetts softball team leads BU, 6-2, at the end of the fourth inning.

With two on and two out in the bottom of the fourth, Amanda Morin was hit by a pitch to load the bases. A passed ball scored Samantha Salato from third base to make it 4-2. A Candice Molinari walked reloaded the bases for Stacy Cullngton.

Cullington lined a 2-1 pitch over the left-field wall to give UMass the lead. It is her second grand slam of the season. The homer increases her team-leading total to 11 and her 42 RBIs also lead the team.

Cullington has been sensational for the Minutewomen this season. Before the season started, sophomore third baseman Whitney Mollica projected as the big bat in the middle of the UMass batting order. Her second season in Amherst just hasn't gone as she, and fans of the Minutewomen, would have hoped.

Pitching is obviously the most important aspect of a softball team, but Cullington's timely hitting has vaulted the Minutewomen in the last month. Her presence in the heart of the UMass batting order makes life difficult for opposition pitchers.

If Mollica's struggles continue, Cullington's dominance will need to follow suit if the Minutewomen plan to make some noise in the A-10 Tournament and beyond.

UMass-UConn rivalry washed out

Softball
Jeremy Rice

Once again, the Massachusetts softball team has missed out on a chance to play its biggest rival, the Connecticut Huskies. Today's game at the UMass Softball Complex - slated for a 5 p.m. start - was rained out was rained out. The cancellation comes just a week after the first round of the home-and-home series in Storrs, Conn., was cancelled due to rain.

The Minutewomen (26-12-1, 12-0 Atlantic 10) will try again tomorrow at 5 p.m. when they host Boston University (28-9, 12-2 America East).

The next A-10 action for UMass is this Sunday, with a doubleheader against George Washington (18-21, 6-8 A-10) at home.

Holy Cross wins 8-3

By Danny Picard
Collegian Staff

The Crusaders made the best of their one-time shot at the Beanpot consolation game, winning by a score of 8-3 in seven innings.

Scott Hampe (3-3) picks up the win. He pitched a scoreless bottom of the second inning, and was one of seven Holy Cross pitchers in the game.

Mike Dicato (0-6) picked up the loss.

Holy Cross finished the game with 12 hits, opposed to UMass' three.

Adamski falls apart

By Danny Picard
Collegian Staff

Just a half inning after UMass cut the lead down to one, senior Bryan Adamski moved from first base to make his eighth pitching appearance of the season in the top of the last (7th) inning.

Adamski allowed four runs (three earned) in the inning.

8-3 Holy Cross lead after six and a half.

Minutemen inch closer

By Danny Picard
Collegian Staff

UMass loaded the bases and scored two runs on Holy Cross' sixth different pitcher. Proietti and Franczek scored, both on a fielder's choicem cutting the Crusaders' lead to 4-3 heading into the seventh, and what is being rumored to be up here in the press box, the last inning of the game due to a late start.

Captain Bryan Garrity started the sixth as the new UMass catcher.

Bryan Adamski makes the move from first base to pitcher to start the seventh.

4-3 Holy Cross after six.

UMass gets on the board

By Danny Picard
Collegian Staff

Senior Bill Rankin has continued his hot-hitting with a leadoff single in the bottom of the fifth. Rankin advanced to second base on a past ball, and then stole third on a pitch in the dirt. He scored the Minutemen's lone run so far on a wild pitch to Frank McPherson.

McPherson walked, and Jim Cassidy pinch ran with two outs. Cassidy stole second, but he was stranded after a Travis Munsey strikeout to end the inning.

The Crusaders have used a different starting pitcher in every inning to this point.

4-1 Holy Cross after five.

Crusaders add another in fifth

By Danny Picard
Collegian Staff

Holy Cross' Jake Gorman ripped a one-out double off the W.B. Mason sign in left, and scored the Crusaders' fourth run on Brendan Akashian's two-out single to right.

Dicato was pulled in favor of Tim Comiskey, who forced a flyout to center to end the top of the fifth. As for Dicato's line, it was quite similar to last year's start in the very same game: 8 hits, 4 runs (2 earned), 0 walks, and 3 strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.

UMass only has one hit heading into the bottom of the fifth.

4-0 Holy Cross.

Crusaders jump out to early lead

By Danny Picard
Collegian Staff

The Minutemen's defense isn't as sharp this afternoon as it was in yesterday's 11-7 win over Central Connecticut.

Holy Cross took advantage of a pair of UMass blunders in the field and took a 3-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Norm Roth lined a one-hopper off the Green Monster that scored Jamie Aldrich for a 1-0 Crusaders lead.

UMass shortstop Lou Proietti bobbled a groundball with two outs and runners on second and third that led to the second run of the innning. Roth crossed the plate for the third run when Minuteman starter Mike Dicato threw an errant pickoff attempt to first.

UMass was charged two errors in the inning.

Beanpot consolation game faces minor setback

By Danny Picard
Collegian Staff

The game against Holy Cross at Fenway Park, which was originally scheduled for a noon start, suffered a 42-minute delay because the umpires pulled a no-show.

UMass assistant coach, and former third baseman, Matt Reynolds took off his jersey and made the calls behind home plate before an official umpire showed up after the second inning.

A Holy Cross coach patrolled the first base line to even the playing field.

Again

Softball
Joe Meloni

The Atlantic 10 honored UMass pitchers Brandice Balschmiter and Bailey Sanders for their performances this past weekend.

Balschmiter improved her personal winning streak to 11 games and her overall record to 19-8. Over the weekend, she won both her starts. Pitching 13 2/3 innings, she allowed two runs - both unearned.

Sanders won both her starts for UMass. She has won her last four decisions after a two-week layoff to work out some problems in her delivery.

UMass' next action is Wednesday at 5 against Connecticut at the UMass Softball Complex.

Postseason Chances Dead

Women's Lacrosse
Kevin Dooley

The Massachusetts women's lacrosse team was eliminated from postseason contention this afternoon after the Temple Owls defeated the Duquesne Dukes 10-7. Temple's win means it owns the tiebreakers over both UMass and the Dukes if all three teams finish with identical records. The Owls need to win one of their final two games to advance to the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

The End?

Women's Lacrosse
By Kevin Dooley

The season in all liklihood came to an unofficial close for the Massachusetts women's lacrosse team after a 12-11 loss at St. Bonaventure this afternoon. With Richmond, George Washington and St. Bonaventure guaranteed of finishing ahead of the Minutewomen in the final standings, the team will have to hope for Duquesne to defeat Temple this afternoon and then have both teams lose their final two contests if the Minutewomen are to advance to the postseason. If UMass and Duquesne finish with identical records, which would be records of 3-4, UMass wins the tiebreaker via its 10-6 win over the Dukes on Friday. If Temple emerges victorious Sunday, UMass would be officialy eliminated from postseason contention due to the fact that Temple would own the tiebreaker over the Minutewomen and Duquesne.

Softball game cancelled

Softball
Domenic Poli

The Massachustts softball team's game at Connecticut was cancelled earlier today due to rain. It will not be made up.

The Minutewomen head to Philadelphia for four games this weekend. They will take on the Temple Owls at 3 p.m. on Friday and then at noon on Saturday. UMass finishes up the weekend with a doubleheader against the Saint Joseph's Hawks, starting at noon on Sunday.

Second Half

Women's Lacrosse
Steve Games

It only took Richmond 27 seconds to score its first goal of the second half. The Spiders pushed the lead to three goals, 5-2.

The Spiders scored two consecutive goals coming from the Friend sisters. Sophomore Mandy Friend scored, going one on one against the UMass defense, and her older sister senior Ashley Friend added another goal within the next minute.

UMass ended Richmond’s 8-0 run with a goal from freshman Stephanie Hopkins. However, Richmond answered with another goal, taking a 9-3 lead with 15:44 remaining.

With four minutes remaining Richmond scored to take a commanding 10-3 lead. The Minutewomen played aggressively in the final 10 minutes, trying to cut back into the lead. They had some opportunities, but they were unable to put away any goals until late in the second half with 2:58 remaining in the game. The final score Richmond 10, UMass 4.

Richmond takes the early lead

Women's Lacrosse
Steve Games

The field is accumulating snow in the first half as it has been coming down since the start of the game. The Massachusetts women's lacrosse team took the early 2-0 lead with 23:58 left. Kathleen Typadis scored her 35th and 36th goal of the season. With those goals Typadis continues her scoring streak to 38 games.

Richmond responded scoring two goals within 40 seconds of each other. The snow continued to fall, making it hard to see the lines on the field. Some of the players are starting lose their footing with the mixture of ice and snow falling on McGuirk Stadium.
Richmond took the 3-2 lead with 5:14 left. Both teams are playing at a slow and conservative pace, neither team wants to make the mistake that leads to a goal. With 50 seconds remaining in the half Richmond extended its lead, 4-2.

UMass goalie Lauren McCarthy made three saves as Richmond out shot UMass, 8-6.

Yarworth Names Captains

Men's Swimming and Diving
Michael King

Fresh off winning their sixth Atlantic 10 Championship in seven years, coach Russ Yarworth is already looking toward next season. On Wednesday, he announced the four team captains for the 2007-08 season. Junior swimmers A.J. Vozella, Zach Priest and John Weaver will fill the leadership role, as well as junior diver R.J. Rappe.

Vozella specializes in the freestyle events and swam personal best times in the 100 and 200-yard races at the 2005 A-10 Championships.

Priest performed very well at this year's A-10's, taking second place in the 100-yard butterfly and was also a part of the team's winning 400-yard medley relay entry.

Weaver took fourth place in the 100-yard breaststroke and sixth in the 100-yard event at the 2006 A-10's.

Already one of the best divers in UMass history, Rappe will look to improve on his success on the board next season, in addition to serving as a captain for the second consecutive year. He won the one-meter dive and placed second on the three-meter at the A-10 Championships. Rappe also holds the school record in the three-meter event.

Travis Ford signs extension with UMass

Basketball
Danny Picard

This year's NCAA basketball offseason has included quite the coaching carousel, but UMass Athletic Director John McCutcheon has made sure his man isn't going anywhere.

McCutcheon announced tonight that UMass men's basketball coach Travis Ford has signed a five-year contract extension that will expire at the end of the 2004-05 season.

"We are thrilled that Travis has made a commitment to UMass basketball," McCutcheon said at the team's banquet this evening. "This past season was very exciting for out university and out fans. Travis has brought Minuteman basketball back to national recognition with his solid leadership. This extension shows that we are pleased with where UMass basketball is headed under Travis' guidance."

UMass is coming off its best season since it went to the Final Four in 1995-96. Ford les the Minutemen to a 24-9 record in 2006-07, becoming the Atlantic 10 Regular Season Co-Conference Champion with Xavier.

"My family and I have been welcomed with open arms by the University and New England communities," Ford said. "I love UMass and my family does as well. I am excited to know that UMass is committed to building the men's basketball program back to one of the best in the East and that I will have the chance to be at the helm for many years to come."

Ford signed a five-year deal when he came to UMass prior to the 2005-06 season. He had three years left on his contract prior to the extension announced tonight.

Danny Picard can be reached at dpicard@student.umass.edu.

More in the Pros

Hockey
Jon Pelland

Chris Capraro became the the fourth UMass hockey player to turn pro in the past few weeks. He signed on with the Trenton Titans, who play in the East Coast Hockey League. Capraro has already seen time with the Titans, scoring a goal and two assists in three games.

Capraro joins Matt Anderson, Mark Matheson and Jon Quick as the Minutemen to join the ranks of professional hockey.

UMass owns weekly honors once again

Softball
Joe Meloni

It's becoming a formality.

Every Monday, those at the Atlantic 10 release their picks for A-10 Softball Performers of the Week and every Monday, two UMass players win the award.

This week, junior left fielder Lauren Proctor and sophomore pitcher Brandice Balschmiter got the call.

Proctor had a remarkable week for the Minutewomen. In UMass' four games, she went 7-for-10 with two doubles, a homer and six RBI. Proctor's performance against Rhode Island on April 3 led UMass' assult. In the the two tilts with the Rams, she went 5-for-6 with four RBI and for runs scored.

Balschmiter won all four of her starts and held opponents to a 0.30 earned run average and a .105 batting average.

After less than stellar outings from freshman Bailey Sanders, it is imperative for Balschmiter to continue her dominace over A-10 opponents. However, Sanders does seem to be coming along. Her new-look delivery gave her better command of her pitches in her last outing against URI, she pitched two scoreless inings.

Minutewomen Suffer Key Injuries

Women's Lacrosse
Michael King

To exacerbate today's 10-7 loss to A-10 rival George Washington (5-5, 1-1 A-10), two key members of the Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team (5-7, 0-2 A-10) went down with injuries.

With ten minutes left in the first half, junior attack, and team leading scorer, Kathleen Typadis left the game with an apparent injury to her left knee. Typadis took the ball over midfield while being pursued by three Colonial defenders. The junior was winning the foot race, but was taken down from behind by one of GW players. Despite spraining her knee and limping off the field, Typadis returning to play attack for the second half.

The second injury of the game occurred with less than five minutes left in the second half. Junior midfielder Kristina Twichell suffered an injury to her back. However, it was unclear whether she pulled a muscle or if the injury was caused by contact with another player. Twichell did not return.

Check out tomorrow's edition of the Daily Collegian for complete UMass women's lacrosse coverage.

Softball stays perfect in A-10

Softball
Jeremy Rice
Joe Meloni

The Massachusetts softball team swept another A-10 opponent today, beating Saint Louis, 8-0 and 5-0, in a double-header on Easter Sunday and extending the nation's longest home winning streak to 21 games, dating back to last year.

The Minutewomen (19-12-1, 6-0 Atlantic 10) next play Wednesday at Boston College for a single game at 4 p.m.

Sophomore Brandice Balschmiter threw two complete game shutouts en route to handing the Billikens their first losses in-conference.

Junior second baseman Stacy Cullington hit a three-run home run in each game, as she continues to dominate at the plate.

Former pitcher Jenna Busa - the 2005 A-10 Tournament MVP - was in attendance, as was men's basketball forward Gary Forbes.

Check tomorrow's Collegian for more coverage of the games.

Swimming
Joe Meloni

UMass senior diver Mary Jenkins received the UMass Winter Scholar Athlete award. Jenkins, a kinesiology major, has a 3.8 cumulative grade point average.

Last month, Jenkins received a similar honor from the Atlantic 10. She leaves UMass as one of the best divers in school history.

Minutewomen win fifth straight.

Softball
Jeremy Rice

The Massachusetts softball team won the opening game of today's double-header against Rhode Island (6-15, 1-2 Atlantic 10). The Minutewomen (16-12-1, 3-0 A-10) hosted the games that were originally slated for the Rams' home in Kingston, R.I.

Sophomore Brandice Balschmiter was stellar inside the circle, pitching a complete game, allowing no runs on a pair of hits. She continues to blow away opposing offenses, striking out 11 batters.

Designated player Amanda Acampora hit a two-run home run in the second inning, driving in Lauren Proctor.

UMass coach Elaine Sortino changed her lineup around, moving Acampora to the sixth spot, and bringing second baseman Stacy Cullington (who has been on fire lately) to the cleanup spot.

Third baseman Whitney Mollica was back in her usual spot, batting third.

Senior Candice Molinari did not play, replaced in center field by Davina Hernandez, who is also slated for the second game as well.

Check back later for updates from the the nightcap between UMass and URI.

Change of Plans

Softball
Joe Meloni

Today's double-header against the Rhode Island Rams was moved to the UMass Softball Complex due to poor field conditions at URI's Softball Complex.

First pitch is scheduled for 3:00.