LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell baseball team (19-24, 9-12 AE) fell to the UAlbany Great Danes (19-19, 8-13 AE) by a score of 11-4 on Sunday afternoon.
"They got hits and we didn't. We had too many balls in the air, and you've got the use the middle of the field and stay disciplined and hit line drives," said head coach Ken Harring. "Our offense has been there all year and we just didn't have it today."

Freshman Alex Luccini (Hopedale, Mass.) led the offense with three hits on the afternoon and tallied a team-high two RBIs and added two runs. Fellow freshman Jacob Humphrey (Standish, ME.) recorded two hits and one RBI, as well as one stolen base. Senior Robert Gallagher (Mullica Hill, N.J.) added in two hits and two runs scored on the afternoon.

On the mound, senior Joshua Becker (Burlington, Mass.) got the start and fell to 3-4 on the season. The senior threw 3.2 innings, struck out two and allowed six earned runs. Senior Sal Fusco (Colonie, N.Y.) threw 3.0 innings, striking out three and allowed one walk. Fellow senior Matt Draper (Lowell, Mass.) came in for the ninth and struck out one.

Prior to first pitch, the team recognized and celebrated the life former UMass Lowell baseball player Steve Botto, who recently lost his battle with cancer. The Botto family was welcomed to the field and presented with a #4 banner, a replica of the banner that now hangs in right field of LeLacheur Park.

The Great Danes got on the board in the first inning on a sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead. Becker threw a scoreless second and picked up his first strikeout of the afternoon. In the bottom of the second, Robert Gallagher was walked and stole second before moving to third on a fly out to center. Alex Luccini then tripled to left center to bring in Gallagher to tie the game. Jacob Humphrey followed with an infield single, bringing in Luccini and giving UMass Lowell a 2-1 lead. Becker recorded his second strikeout of the day in the third.

UAlbany answered in the fourth after three straight base hits tied the game at two. A single to right field scored two more runs for a 4-2 lead. The Great Danes added two more runs to take a 6-2 advantage into the bottom half of the frame. Freshman Brendan Holland (North Andover, Mass.) entered the game in relief of Becker to close the fourth inning. A leadoff solo shot in the fifth extended the UAlbany lead to 7-3 before the visitors added four more runs on two hits, stretching the lead to 11-3.
Sal Fusco entered the game in the sixth and pitched well for the River Hawks, retiring the side in a scoreless inning. The senior picked up his second strikeout of the day in the seventh, throwing a 1-2-3 inning. UMass Lowell tacked on another run in the seventh after a base hit from junior Ryan Proto (Centerville, Mass.) brought in Luccini to cut the lead to 11-4. Fusco tallied another strikeout in the eighth, continuing his impressive outing.  

Matt Draper entered the game in the ninth and retired the side in a scoreless inning, recording a strikeout to end the frame. The River Hawk offense could not find an answer and ultimately fell 11-4 to the Great Danes. UMass Lowell is back in action next weekend when the Maine Black Bears come to LeLacheur Park for a weekend series.