BALTIMORE, MD. – The UMass Lowell baseball team (12-24, 5-9 AE) fell to the UMBC Retrievers (18-17, 8-6 AE) in both games of the Friday doubleheader.
 
"Obviously, a tough day," said head coach Ken Harring. "They just outplayed us in all three phases of the game. WE just couldn't seem to get the big hit when we needed it. Matt Draper was fantastic. We need to bounce back Sunday."
 
Game 1
 
Graduate student Gerry Siracusa (Kinnelon, N.J.) had two hits to lead the team. Seniors Matt Tobin (Poland, N.Y.) and Ryan Proto (Centerville, Mass.) each tallied a hit. Tobin also added a run and one RBI.
 
Graduate student Joshua Becker (Burlington, Mass.) went 6.0 innings and struck out four, falling to 2-2 on the season.
 
The River Hawk defense looked sharp in the early stages of the game as junior Fritz Genther (Kingston, N.Y.) came up with a great grab and throw for the second out of the inning. Joshua Becker ended the frame with a strikeout and then struck out two in the second. UMBC's Luke Johnson also had three strikeouts through two innings. Both sides went down in order to remain scoreless through three.
 
The Retrievers' offense got going in the bottom of the fourth with one run scored on two hits and two walks. A single to center gave the hosts a second run before Gerry Siracusa made a big catch in center field to prevent a grand slam. UMBC did add another run to take a 3-0 lead into the fifth.
 
A two-out double in the fifth pushed the UMBC lead to 4-0 with two innings to play. Matt Tobin's first home run of the season, a solo shot to right field, got the River Hawks on the board in the top of the sixth. Robert Gallagher drew a walk and Gerry Siracusa singled to center to bring the tying run to the plate. A deep fly ball moved Gallagher to third, but runners were left stranded on the corners.
 
UMBC added a fifth run behind a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth, giving the River Hawks just three outs to mount a comeback. Ryan Proto had a base hit, but UMass Lowell could not get back into game one.
 
Game 2
 
Graduate student Matt Draper (Lowell, Mass.) went 6.2 innings and struck out eight with three earned runs. Junior Brendan Williams (Auburn, N.Y.) went 1.1 innings with one earned run.
 
Senior Trey Brown (Rochester, N.Y.) had two hits, including a solo homerun. Sophomore Jacob Humphrey (Standish, Maine) and Robert Gallagher both had a hit in game two.
 
A 5-4-3 double play highlighted the first inning for UMass Lowell with the defense looking sharp early again. Neither offense found a real rhythm through the first three innings, with the Retrievers recording three hits to UMass Lowell's one.
 
Matt Draper struck out back-to-back hitters in the fourth to end the frame and send the game into the fifth inning scoreless. Trey Brown's first homerun of the season put the River Hawks in front, a solo shot blasted to left field. Matt Draper struck out three straight hitters in the fifth in a dominant outing on the mound.
 
The veteran struck out two more batters in the sixth, to bring his total to eight to on the day. UMBC tied the game in the bottom of the seventh with a sacrifice fly before an RBI single brought in two runs to put the hosts in front 3-1. Brendan Williams entered the game with two on and two out and threw one pitch to end the seventh.
 
Robert Gallagher came up huge in the eighth inning with an RBI single on an 0-2 pitch to bring in Ryan Proto and move the tying run to third. The River Hawks left two stranded in the eighth but scored an important run to cut the lead to one. A sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the inning gave UMBC an insurance run.
 
UMass Lowell fell in game two and the Retrievers take the series. Game three is set for 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 23.