Box Score New Britain, Ct. (April 1, 2014) – A ninth inning rally came up short as the UMass Lowell baseball team lost, 4-3, to Central Connecticut State University, Tuesday afternoon, at Balf Savin Field in New Britain, Ct.
 
The loss evened the River Hawks record at 8-8 and extended their losing streak to six.  Central Connecticut improved to 6-7.
 
"We're competitive, we're in every game," said Head Coach Ken Harring.  "But when you play once a week (because of the weather), it's hard for hitter to find their rhythm.  We've got to fight through it and we will."
 
Playing for the first time in seven days, thanks to whims of Mother Nature, it took River Hawk bats eight plus innings to shake off the rust, but when they did, it was with a loud bang.  Sophomore Matt Mottola (Newburyport, Mass.) hit a one-out solo home run in the ninth and two batters later junior Jacob O'Keefe (Wellington, Fla.) hit a two-run homer.
 
The ninth inning explosion put three runs on the scoreboard, but it left UMass Lowell still wanting.  The team had struggled at the plate earlier and had entered the final frame trailing by four.
 
"We didn't have many opportunities, we didn't have many good at bats," said Harring.  "Because of the weather, we haven't seen live pitching in a while.  We're practicing in the gym we haven't been on a baseball diamond."
 
Despite the frustration Harring did sound an upbeat note.  "We're battling, we're scrapping, and we'll fight through this."
 
One River Hawk who seems to have found his stroke is Mottola.  The ninth inning home run was his third hit of the day.
 
"He hit a bomb, a no doubter," said Harring.  "He was absolutely locked in."
 
Central Connecticut built its lead chipping away with single runs in the fourth and the fifth and adding two more in the fifth.  Three of the four runs were driven in with two out hits.
 
Freshman right-hander Raz Bracha (Irvine, Calif.), the second of five UMass Lowell pitchers took the loss.  His record drops to 1-3.  Bracha allowed two runs in three innings of work.
 
UMass Lowell which had lost 11 of its first 27 games to the elements is scheduled to return to action this weekend with three games at the University of Albany.  The two teams will meet for a doubleheader Saturday and finish the series with a single game on Sunday.