LOWELL, Mass. – A stellar defensive performance and clutch hitting led the UMass Lowell baseball team (7-14, 2-4 AE) to a 4-1 win over the Binghamton Bearcats (4-15, 1-5 AE) on Sunday afternoon.
 
"We knew Josh [Becker] was on the right track and we knew he'd show up today. Seeing [Matt] Draper come in and do what he did was great, for himself and for our team," said head coach Ken Harring.
 
Senior Joshua Becker (Burlington, Mass.) improved to 2-3 on the season, throwing 6.0 innings. The senior struck out six, walked one, and allowed just four hits on the afternoon. Senior Matt Draper (Lowell, Mass.) closed the game for the River Hawks, pitching 3.0 innings with one strikeout.
 
"When guys go down, other guys have to pick things up and Roddy [Hernandez] comes in and gets a couple big hits and gets an RBI to help out offensively," added Harring. "Some of the guys that were not feeling too great earlier in the year are now feeling good again, so we've added some weapons to our bullpen and our offense."
 
On the offensive end, junior Cedric Rose (Pittsfield, Mass.) and sophomore Roddy Hernandez (Jersey City, N.J.) led the team with two hits in four at-bats each. Seven River Hawks tallied at least one hit in Sunday's win. Hernandez and fellow sophomore Fritz Genther (Kingston, N.Y.) led the team with four assists in a great defensive showing for UMass Lowell.
 
The River Hawks' defense showed up early on with a diving grab in left field by freshman Alex Luccini (Hopedale, Mass.) in the first inning. Becker got out of a jam in the second, ending the inning with a strikeout leaving two runners stranded. The UMass Lowell bats got going in the second, with the team picking up two early hits.
 
After Genther was walked in the third, senior Gerry Siracusa (Kinnelon, N.J.) hit an RBI double to give the River Hawks a 1-0 lead. UMass Lowell stretched the lead in the fourth after Humphrey's single to short and scored sophomore Jimmy Sullivan (East Hampton, Conn.). Luccini then single to second, bringing in Rose and giving the River Hawks a 3-0 lead.
 
The defensive work of UMass Lowell continued to be a storyline of the game, as Becker picked off the runner at second to end the sixth inning. Then in the seventh, Hernandez made a great play on a ball driven up the middle, making the off-balance throw to first for the out. The work on defense kept Binghamton off the board through most of the game.
 
UMass Lowell added a fourth run in the sixth as Humphrey stole third and then came in to score on a wild pitch, putting the hosts ahead 4-0. Draper entered the game in the seventh and Becker finished the day with six strikeouts and four hits in 6.0 innings. The visitors scored one in the seventh to make it 4-1, but that would be the final scoring play of the afternoon. The River Hawks held on to win the game 4-1 and win the weekend series 2-1.
 
"The guys are feeling good, and a week of practice will be good. Going down to NJIT, the defending champions, they're a good team and they're playing well. Every weekend in this conference is a grind and we'll be ready to go again."