LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell baseball (11-16, 5-6 AE) held off a late surge from the UMBC Retrievers (12-17, 4-7 AE) to win 7-6 on Saturday night at LeLacheur Park.
 
"Any win in this conference is a big win. Another one-run game, it was a gritty win," said head coach Ken Harring. "That run by [Jacob] Humphrey in the eighth inning was huge for us. All the runs matter and that was a big one. We were on the other end of these close games early, but we're getting the results now."
 
Freshman Jacob Humphrey (Standish, ME.) led the team going 3-3 with three runs on the night. The rookie added in two stolen bases, staying perfect on the season. Senior Robert Gallagher (Mullica Hill, N.J.) led the team with three RBIs and added one run and one hit. Senior Gerry Siracusa (Kinnelon, N.J.) added two hits and two RBIs in five at-bats.
 
"I thought the tone was set with Ryan [Towle] and the difference here is in the bench. There's no panic in their game and we just have to go out and continue to throw strikes. I thought the fifth, sixth, and seventh he was dominant. He was really good for us tonight."
 
On the mound, graduate student Ryan Towle (Westfield, Mass.) improved to 2-4 on the year. The veteran threw 7.0 innings, striking out six and allowing two earned runs. Sophomore Zach Fortuna (Newburyport, Mass.) and senior Matt Draper (Lowell, Mass.) came in to finish the game, striking out one batter each to secure the win.
 
Ryan Towle got to work early on, earning his first strikeout of the night in the first inning. The River Hawk defense was once again on full display, as junior Ryan Proto (Centerville, Mass.) threw out Myles Nicholson attempting to steal second base.
 
UMass Lowell's offense got rolling in the first inning as well, with Humphrey hitting a leadoff double. The freshman moved to third on a ground out before junior Cedric Rose (Pittsfield, Mass.) hit an RBI single to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. The Retrievers answered in the third inning when a triple scored the leadoff runner to tie the game. A hit to third and a ground out then gave UMBC a 3-1 lead.
 
The visitors' advantage did not last long, as UMass Lowell responded in the bottom half of the inning. Freshman Alex Luccini (Hopedale, Mass) singled up the middle to kick off the inning. Humphrey then double to center, moving Luccini to third. Gallagher hit a two-strike double to bring in both baserunners, tying the game 3-3. Siracusa followed with an RBI single, scoring Gallagher and putting the River Hawks ahead 4-3.
 
In the fourth inning, the River Hawks added a fifth run as Gallagher hit a ground out that scored sophomore Roddy Hernandez (Jersey City, N.J.), who opened the inning with a leadoff double. Towle continued to pitch well for UMass Lowell, picking up three more strikeouts over the next three innings, totaling six on the night, and keeping UMBC off the board. Luccini came in to score on Siracusa's single to third in the sixth inning, giving the River Hawks a 6-3 lead.
 
Zach Fortuna entered the game in relief of Towle and pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning with one strikeout. Humphrey scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth to stretch the lead to 7-3 heading into the ninth.
 
The Retrievers battled back late in the game, getting two baserunners on with nobody out. A three-run home run from Logan Doran made it a slim 7-6 advantage for the hosts. Matt Draper then took over on the mound to close the game. The senior forced a fly out on his first pitch and forced another fly out for the second out. An infield single put runners on first and second and the game was up for grabs. Draper got ahead in the count and on a 2-2 pitch, struck out Drew Roberts swinging to secure the 7-6 win for the River Hawks.
 
"Jacob [Humphrey] continues to amaze as a freshman, his speed kills. Bobby [Gallagher] hits the 0-2 pitch for a double, that's the kind of plays you want from your veterans. I think it was a really good team effort, up and down the lineup."
 
The series finale against UMBC is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 10 at LeLachuer Park.