RICHMOND, Va. – Sophomore Scott Donahue (Medfield, Mass.) led the way going 5-for-7 at the plate with two doubles and a run, as the UMass Lowell baseball team (3-8) fell in a tight battle against Lafayette (2-9), 6-5, before falling to Richmond (11-2), 11-1, in seven innings on Friday afternoon.
"Disappointing day all around," said Head Coach Nick Barese. "I think for us to win at a consistent level it starts with pitching and playing better defense. Between the two games, we weren't really good in any areas."
Senior Brandon Fish (Londonderry, N.H.) added three hits, three RBI, and one run in the two games played, while senior Alex Luccini (Hopedale, Mass.) recorded three runs with one hit in the contests.
In game one, sophomore Alfred Mucciarone (Franklin, Mass.) went 6.2 innings pitched, fanning six batters, with senior Andres Hulfachor (Nashua, N.H.) closing out the game, throwing for two strikeouts in 2.1 innings played. Redshirt junior Brendan Holland (North Andover, Mass.) started the second game against Richmond, hurling two strikeouts in 4.0 innings pitched.
Both sides started the first game with strong pitching, as Mucciarone allowed only one hit in the first three innings while racking up three strikeouts. Meanwhile, although juniors Zachary Scott (Lunenburg, Mass.) and Carlos Martinez (Coamo, Puerto Rico) opened the first and second innings with lead-off singles, the River Hawks didn't get on the board until the bottom of the third. Batting in the eight spot, sophomore River Hart (Nashua, N.H.) ripped the ball down the left field line, clearing the fence for his first collegiate home run, giving his squad a 1-0 lead.
Mucciarone continued to dominate to keep his team's one-run lead, allowing only one more hit while fanning two to send the game to the sixth inning. In the sixth, the Leopards finally got on the board, using a one-out solo shot to knot the game up at 1-1. With the pitching duel extending into the seventh, the Leopards' bats began to heat up, using three singles and a hit by pitch to jump in front, 3-1, before Hulfachor entered as the relief pitcher.
Quick to respond, the River Hawks evened the score almost instantly, as Fish barreled up the ball, shooting it into right field for a two-out double, driving in Donahue and Luccini. Next to the plate, Martinez drove in Fish with a double of his own, giving UMass Lowell the lead, 4-3, with two innings to play. With neither side able to tally a run, the score remained the same heading into the ninth before Lafayette doubled their total with a three-run home run. Although Fish added another RBI with two outs, the River Hawks were unable to plate the equalizing run, sealing the 6-5 final.
The River Hawks faced a quick turnaround as they got right back on the field to take on Richmond in game two of the day. It didn't take long for the River Hawks to open the scoring, as Fish knocked a single to left field, driving Luccini home for the early lead, but the Spiders answered with one of their own in the bottom half of the frame, evening the score at 1-1.
Following a scoreless second, Donahue continued his hot start to the game, sending the ball into left field for a one-out single, advancing Luccini to second. Unable to drive in the go-ahead run, the game went to the bottom of the third, where the home team added two runs to take its first lead of the afternoon, 3-1. The River Hawks made quick work of the Spiders' offense in the fourth, though, using a 6-4-3 double play to get out of the inning.
The hosts built on their lead in the fifth, adding four more to their total to make it a 7-1 ballgame. Although freshman Nolan Geisler (Bayonne, N.J.) recorded two strikeouts on swings and misses in the sixth, Richmond added four more in the seventh, finalizing the 11-1 score.
The River Hawks return to the ballpark tomorrow, Saturday, March 8 when they have a chance at revenge against Richmond. First pitch is set for 2:30 p.m. at Pitt Field.
