AMHERST, Mass. – The UMass Lowell baseball team (12-18, 5-7 AE) fell to the Massachusetts Minutemen (15-10-1, 5-1 A10) by a score of 11-4 on Wednesday afternoon.
 
"Obviously, today was tough. It's hard chasing seven runs in the first inning," said head coach Ken Harring. "We just didn't have it today and they got some big plays, and that was the difference today."
 
Freshman Jacob Humphrey (Standish, ME.) tallied three hits and one RBI in four at-bats. Seniors Gerry Siracusa (Kinnelon, N.J.) and Robert Gallagher (Mullica Hill, N.J.) each recorded two hits and one RBI in the loss. Junior Cedric Rose (Pittsfield, Mass.) recorded a hit, extending his hit streak to 16 games.
 
Graduate student Zach Rodgers (Parrish, Fla.) led the pitching core with six strikeouts in 3.2 innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs. Sophomore Michael Quigley (Halifax, Mass.) threw 1.0 inning and struck out two.
 
The River Hawks took an early lead as Gerry Siracusa crushed a solo home run to left field for a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Massachusetts answered with seven runs in the bottom half of the inning, forcing UMass Lowell to bring in Zach Rodgers. The Minutemen led 7-1 after one.
 
UMass Lowell battled back in the fourth, as Rose scored on a double play to cut the lead to 7-2. Humphrey then singled to right to score sophomore Fritz Genther (Kingston, N.Y.), making it a four-run game. Rodgers got through the fourth and the inning ended with junior Ryan Proto (Centerville, Mass.) throwing out a runner attempting to steal second.
 
Freshman Hayden Duke (Mattapoisett, Mass.) took the mound in the fifth inning. The hosts added two more runs to take a 9-3 lead into the sixth. Duke threw 1.2 innings with one earned run and one strikeout. The River Hawks added a run in the top of the sixth as Gallagher doubled to right to bring in Genther cutting the lead to 9-4.
 
The Minutemen added a run in the sixth and eighth innings to stretch the lead to 11-4 and would hold on to take the victory.
 
UMass Lowell returns to action Friday, April 15 to host the Hartford Hawks in an America East weekend series. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. at LeLacheur Park.