LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Alex Luccini (Hopedale, Mass.) had an incredible day at the plate, going 6-for-6 with two home runs, one double, one triple, four RBI and five runs, as the UMass Lowell baseball team (8-12) earned its swept the doubleheader against Le Moyne (4-14), taking the series over the Dolphins on Saturday afternoon while adding its fourth straight win in a row.
"Really good day today across the board," said Head Coach Nick Barese. "Offensively we stayed consistent in both games and put together some really solid at bats. Luccini was fantastic, and he didn't make an out all day. Hart, Fish, up and down the lineup we had good at bats. I thought Zach Scott was excellent defensively today, and made some really nice plays. Same for Hart, the catch he made in left field diving into the tarp was impressive. I thought our pitchers were tough all day. They battled and did a great job minimizing the damage through getting big outs when we needed them. Cota did a good job settling in during game one, and Hulfachor had a big punch out to end a potential rally. In game two, Brendan Holland played his game by throwing three pitches for strikes, keeping the hitters off balance all day. It was a good series win, and hopefully we can finish the job tomorrow."
Junior Joseph DeLanzo (Nutley, N.J.) went 4-for-7 at the plate, with three RBI and three runs, as junior Carlos Martinez (Coamo, Puerto Rico) posted four knocks with two doubles, while adding one RBI and two runs.
Graduate student Miles Cota (Hampstead, N.C.) was on the bump to begin the first game, throwing in 4.1 innings and adding three strikeouts. Freshman Jake LeFrancois (Worcester, Mass.) entered for 1.2 innings, grabbing four strikeouts and his first win of the season. Graduate student Kevin Zarnoch Jr. (Boston, Mass.) finished the game one for the River Hawks, earning his first save of the season while striking out three batters. Redshirt-junior Brendan Holland (North Andover, Mass.) started game two on the mound, pitching 5.0 innings and fanning six batters. Redshirt-sophomore Nick Dirito (Plymouth, Mass.) closed the game for the River Hawks, tossing two strikes in three innings on his way to his third save on the season.
The visitors started the game strong at the plate, putting up two runs in the first inning for the early lead. The River Hawks, ambitious to score, started to find their rhythm in the bottom of the second after stroking two singles, but couldn't capitalize, keeping the score the same. Looking to keep the opposition off the board, Cota put together a strong third and fourth inning, including two strikeouts in the fourth, to keep it a 2-0 ballgame heading into home half of the fourth.
In the bottom of the fourth, the River Hawks got to work, reaching base with three of the first four batters to set up senior Brandon Fish (Londonderry, N.H.), who laced a double to left field, driving in senior Conor Kelly (Hopkinton, Mass.) and Luccini. Moments later, after Masse was took first after being hit, DeLanzo ripped an RBI single to left to put his team in front, before an error by the Dolphins allowed sophomore Rowan Masse (Manchester, Conn.) to reach home, giving the hosts a 4-2 lead after four. They didn't stop there though, as UMass Lowell added six more runs off six hits in the fifth, highlighted by an RBI two-bagger for Luccini and capped off by a two-run double off the bat of junior Zachary Scott (Lunenburg, Mass.), to own their largest lead yet, 10-2.
A run from the visitors in the sixth looked to spark some momentum, but during the bottom of the seventh Luccini cracked the ball sky high, sending it behind the wall to extend his team's lead back to eight, this time at 11-3. With hopes of climbing back, the Dolphins posted three runs in the eighth inning, but the River Hawks fought off any further scoring opportunities while adding two of their own in the bottom half of the frame, sealing the 13-6 victory in game one.
Beginning the second game red hot, Luccini smoked his second homer of the day, this time over the right field wall, putting his squad up 1-0 in the first inning. Getting the start, Holland made an early impact, as the left hand pitcher collected two swings and misses to close out the second inning. Following in Luccini's footsteps in his first at-bat of game two, sophomore River Hart (Nashua, N.H.) launched the ball on the fifth pitch high over left center, doubling the lead to 2-0 through two. After another scoreless frame for Holland and the River Hawks' defense, Luccini continued to dominate at the plate, ripping a triple down the left field line to drive in his fourth runner of the day and second of the game, extending the UMass Lowell lead to 3-0 after three.
Over the next three innings, the Dolphins scratched away at the deficit, adding a run in each inning to even the score at 3-3. The River Hawks were quick to respond, opening the bottom of the sixth with a double by Martinez, followed by singles from Hart and DeLanzo to regain a one-run lead. Stretching the lead, senior Spencer Aubin (Dover, N.H.) posted a two-run single to extend the lead to 6-3 after six. Taking the mound for the River Hawks, Dirito fanned a batter as part of a scoreless seventh, putting his team back at the plate. In the home half, Luccini led off the inning with a single off a bunt, and after advancing to second Martinez drove the senior home to make it a four-run difference.
After the River Hawks added two more in the bottom of the eight, Dirito took the mound looking to finish his excellent outing with a save. Although the Dolphins added one in the final frame, UMass Lowell refused to allow the opposition to get any closer, collecting the last two outs to seal the 9-4 victory.
The weekend series wraps up tomorrow Sunday, March 23, at Edward A. LeLacheur Park, with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
