BALTIMORE, Md. – Junior Zachary Scott (Lunenburg, Mass.) posted one hit for an RBI and one run, as the UMass Lowell baseball team (4-11) dropped a close battle against UMBC (3-8), 7-6, in Friday's conference opener.
"We need to find a way to play better situational baseball," stated Head Coach Nick Barese. "We can't go one for nine with runners in scoring position and fail to execute in key situations in all three phases. We have to play better baseball, plain and simple."
Senior Conor Kelly (Hopkinton, Mass.) recorded one knock and two runs, with senior Alex Luccini (Hopedale, Mass.) earning a double and two RBI.
Starting his fifth game this season, sophomore Alfred Mucciarone (Franklin, Mass.) tossed 4.1 innings, tallying seven strikeouts on the day. Graduate student Dylan Bedder (New Providence, N.J.) hit the mound for his second straight game, fanning four batters through 2.0 innings pitched. Graduate student Kevin Zarnoch Jr. (Boston, Mass.) threw in one clean inning, grabbing one punchout.
After reaching first on a fielder's choice in his first at bat, Kelly quickly advanced to second thanks to sophomore Scott Donahue (Medfield, Mass.), who worked the count full before drawing ball four. A throwing error advanced the runners to second and third, setting up Luccini who drove in Kelly with a sac fly, giving his squad the upper hand early, 1-0. On the bump, Mucciarone made quick work of the opposition, striking out the first batter of the game while allowing only one hit in the inning. A quick second frame was closed out by the River Hawks with a 6-4-3 double play and a punchout by Mucciarone.
In the bottom of the third, the hosts used a trio of singles to even the score, before adding two more to take their first lead of the day, 3-1. Mucciarone remained composed, getting a Retrievers batter on a swing and miss to close the frame for the River Hawks. Mucciarone continued his strong showing, adding two more strikeouts to his stat line in a 1-2-3 fourth.
The River Hawks' bats began to heat up in the fifth, starting with singles from Scott and Kelly, who both moved up a bag after a pass ball. A one-out single down the right side from Martinez drove in Scott, with Kelly soon reaching home off a first pitch double to center by Luccini. The Retrievers made a call to the bullpen, but that didn't stop sophomore Rowan Masse (Manchester, Conn.) as he posted an RBI to score junior Carlos Martinez (Coamo, Puerto Rico) helping the River Hawks regain the lead, 4-3. The hosts responded quickly in the bottom of the frame, adding three more runs, to reclaim the lead for a 6-4 edge, but UMass Lowell escaped the jam thanks to an incredible barehanded play by junior Joseph DeLanzo (Nutley, N.J.).
The River Hawks answered instantly with two runs to tie the game, 6-6, during the top half of the sixth. DeLanzo led off with a hit by pitch, with sophomore River Hart (Nashua, N.H.) smacking a clutch double on a 2-2 count to advance DeLanzo to third. Senior Spencer Aubin (Dover, N.H.) sent a sac fly to right to make it a one-score game, before Scott put the ball in play to send Hart home. Bedder started the bottom half, closing on a clean inning, with two strikeouts posted.
After a scoreless top of the seventh, the Retrievers used a single and a pair of walks to load the bases to begin the bottom half of the frame. Although Bedder was able to get a huge strike three for the first out, a sac fly to left sent home the go-ahead run, before Bedder collected one more strike three looking to end the inning. In the final two innings, the River Hawks looked to even the score, and although they were able to get two on in the eighth, the Retrievers held on, sealing the 7-6 decision.
The River Hawks are back at the ballpark Saturday, March 15, when they take on UMBC in a doubleheader to close the weekend-series. The first game is set to begin at 2 p.m. at Alumni Field in Baltimore, Md.
