BLACKSBURG, Va. – Despite a late rally, the UMass Lowell baseball team (2-9, 0-0 AE) fell to the #11 Virginia Tech Hokies (11-2, 0-0 ACC) 7-4 in Wednesday's contest. The Hokies take the series 2-0.
 
"I challenged the guys to go out and compete. I thought we did a good job of that today and we stayed in the game," said head coach Ken Harring. "If we take care of the baseball early, it could've been a different outcome. We gave ourselves a chance to win at the end with the go-ahead run on first, but we just didn't capitalize. We pitched much better today, and this game will make us better."
 
Senior Robert Gallagher (Mullica Hill, N.J.) led the team with three hits, including a three-run home run in the eighth inning, his first of the season. The senior also had a team-high three RBIs and scored one run. Fellow senior Frank Wayman (Horseheads, N.Y.) and sophomores Brandon Fish (Londonderry, N.H.) and Jacob Humphrey (Standish, ME.) all recorded a hit on the afternoon. Junior Roddy Hernandez (Jersey City, N.J.) scored two runs and drew two walks.
 
Six pitchers saw time on the mound with senior Frankie Venezia (Lyndhurst, N.J.) getting the start. The senior went 3.1 innings and struck out one with three earned runs. Graduate student Zach Rodgers (Parrish, Fla.) went 1.0 inning and struck out two, while freshman Jacob Jette (Franklin, Mass.) and Michael Simes (Rutland, Mass.) each went 1.0 inning with one strikeout.
 
Jacob Humphrey's hit streak continued into the second game against the Hokies as the sophomore's leadoff single in the first put a runner on early for the River Hawks. Robert Gallagher bunted to put two on, but both were left stranded before Virginia Tech took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Frankie Venezia threw a 1-2-3 second frame with one strikeout before the Hokies added two in the third. Sophomore Hayden Duke (Mattapoisett, Mass.) came in relief of Venezia and got out of the third with two quick outs. An RBI triple for Virginia Tech in the fourth made it 4-0 game.
 
Zach Rodgers entered the game in the fifth inning after the River Hawks went down in order in the top half of the frame. The graduate student struck out two, but the Hokies scored one run to stretch the advantage to five. After the offense struggled to find hits, Robert Gallagher doubled down the right field line in the sixth to put runners on second and third. Gallagher would come in to score on a wild pitch to get the River Hawks on the board in the top of the sixth. Jacob Jette came out of the bullpen and threw a strong sixth inning, striking out one. Sophomore Jake Fitzgibbons (Franklin, Mass.) made a nice play to throw a runner out at third to end the frame with the Hokies in front by five.
 
The River Hawks utilized several pitchers out of the bullpen, including Michael Simes who threw a scoreless seventh inning with one strikeout. Roddy Hernandez and Jacob Humphrey drew back-to-back walks in the eighth to set up a three-run homerun for Gallagher to cut the lead to 6-4. Frank Wayman and Brandon Fish followed the homer with back-to-back singles before Matt Tobin drew a walk to load the bases. The River Hawks left three runners stranded, but cut into the Hokies' lead.
 
Graduate student Joshua Becker (Burlington, Mass.) came in for the bottom of the eighth, making his second appearance of the season. The veteran pitched well, but a two-out single gave the Hokies a three-run cushion heading into the ninth. UMass Lowell went down in order in the ninth and fell in game two at Virginia Tech.
 
Next up, the River Hawks travel to Merion, Pennsylvania to take on Saint Joseph's for a weekend series. Game one is set for 2:00 p.m. on Friday, March 10.