LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell baseball team (14-19, 7-8 AE) fell to the Hartford Hawks (5-24, 4-11 AE) by a score of 13-12 in extra innings on Sunday afternoon.
 
"We stopped scoring after the fifth and we didn't score until the ninth. We took ourselves out of it," said head coach Ken Harring. "We struggled in the eighth again and we have to figure it out. Series are hard to sweep, but credit to them [Hartford], they stayed in it and battled hard."
 
Sophomore Fritz Genther (Kingston, N.Y.) led the team with four hits, three RBIs, and four runs on the afternoon. Freshman Jacob Humphrey (Standish, ME.) scored two runs and stole four bases. Fellow freshman Alex Luccini (Hopedale, Mass.) tallied three hits.
 
On the mound, senior Joshua Becker (Burlington, Mass.) threw 7.0 innings and struck out six. The senior retired 11 straight batters between the fourth and seventh innings. Freshman Hayden Duke (Mattapoisett, Mass.) recorded two strikeouts and senior Matt Draper (Lowell, Mass.) struck out two in 2.1 innings.
 
Becker got off to a great start on the mound, striking out two Hartford batters in a 1-2-3 first inning for the River Hawks. In the bottom of the first, UMass Lowell went up 3-0 without registering a hit. Fritz Genther doubled to right center to bring in two more runs, pushing the lead to 5-0. Alex Luccini reached on a throwing error and brought in Genther for another score. Senior Robert Gallagher's (Mullica Hill, N.J.) RBI single scored sophomore Roddy Hernandez (Jersey City, N.J.) to cap off a seven-run first inning for the River Hawks.
 
The Hawks answered in the second with three hits to score three runs, cutting the lead for four. In the bottom half of the inning, scoring two more runs to push the lead to 9-3. Sophomore Jimmy Sullivan (East Hampton, Conn.) threw out Hartford's Tenney attempting to steal third in the third inning as the River Hawks escaped with the six-run lead.
 
Humphrey was hit by a pitch to start the third and stole second, his fourth stolen base of the afternoon. The freshman advanced to third on a throwing error before coming in to score on an RBI single from senior Gerry Siracusa (Kinnelon, N.J.), making it a 10-3 game after three. Becker retired the Hawks in order in the fourth, picking up another strikeout.
 
UMass Lowell added another run in the bottom of the fourth for an 11-3 lead. Becker continued to pitch well, shutting the door in the fifth and retiring the side in order. The senior picked three more strikeouts over the next two innings before Hartford scored three in the top of the seventh to cut the lead to 11-6.
 
In the eighth inning, the Hawks loaded the bases before freshman Hayden Duke (Mattapoisett, Mass.) struck out the next two batters he faced. A hit by pitch scored another for the Hawks, cutting the lead to 11-7 with the bases still loaded and two outs. An RBI single scored two more, making it a two-run game. Senior Sal Fusco (Colonie, N.Y.) entered the game with two outs and two on and walked the first batter he faced. A wild pitch brought in another Hartford run, making it a one-run game before a single to left center scored two more, giving the Hawks a 12-11 lead. Matt Draper closed the eighth for UMass Lowell.
 
The River Hawks escaped the ninth thanks to a great defensive play by Genther and a strikeout from Draper to end the inning. Genther led off in the bottom of the ninth and scored on an inside the park home run to tie the game at twelve. The River Hawks could not end the game in the ninth, sending it to extra innings for the second straight game.
 
Hartford took the lead again in the tenth with a solo shot to right field, giving the River Hawks one more chance. UMass Lowell went three up, three down and Hartford came away with the win.