EASTON, Mass. – Senior Brandon Fish (Londonderry, N.H.) went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI, and one run, as the UMass Lowell baseball team (11-16) took down the Stonehill Skyhawks (6-18), 6-3, on Wednesday afternoon.
"Good to get back on track before conference play," said Head Coach Nick Barese. "I thought we ran the bases really well, and I can't say enough about the pitching staff today. It started with Rourke giving us a solid start, and really strong innings from the bullpen."
Freshman Brayden Cali (Taunton, Mass.) recorded two hits with a double and two runs, while junior Carlos Martinez (Coamo, Puerto Rico) went 2-for-4 at the plate with one RBI.
Sophomore Kevin Rourke (Londonderry, N.H.) was tabbed the starter for the first time in his career, throwing 5.0 innings and recording three strikeouts. Graduate student Dylan Bedder (New Providence, N.J.) went 1.0 inning while striking out two batters. Senior Andres Hulfachor (Nashua, N.H.) and graduate student Kevin Zarnoch Jr. (Boston, Mass.) each went an inning with a strikeout.
Leading off for the River Hawks, Cali went straight to work, ripping a single before stealing second base moments later. After a groundout advanced the runner to third, Fish capitalized on the opportunity, using a two-out single through the left side to put his team up first, 1-0. Next to the plate, Martinez sent the ball into a right field for a single of his own, driving in Fish who had reached second on a stolen base, doubling the UMass Lowell lead to 2-0. In the top of the second, another leadoff single, this time from sophomore River Hart (Nashua, N.H.), helped ignite the visitor's offense. After stealing second with two outs, Hart sprinted home on an error by the hosts, extending the lead to 3-0 through two.
The Skyhawks took advantage of loading the bases with two outs, drawing a walk to cut the deficit to two. With momentum on their side, the home team started to claw back, using a double down the left field line to make it a 3-2 game, but senior Alex Luccini (Hopedale, Mass.) refused to let them pull closer, making a diving effort in center field to secure the final out of the fourth. Rourke was lights out in the fifth, going three up and three down, including a strikeout, to cap off his strong outing. Taking over in the sixth, Bedder picked up where his teammate left off, striking out two in a quick, 1-2-3 inning.
In the seventh, the River Hawks saw their chance to open up the scoring when senior Conor Kelly (Hopkinton, Mass.) made it to second off a walk and a stolen base. At the plate, Luccini cracked a one-out triple to left center, driving in Kelly to make it a two-run game, before Fish drove in Luccini on a groundout, putting the River Hawks up 5-2. On the mound in the seventh, freshman Jake LeFrancois (Worcester, Mass.) made quick work of the Skyhawks, allowing only one hit to keep the score the same heading into the eighth.
In the eighth inning, Stonehill used a pair of doubles to get another run on the board, cutting the lead to 5-3. The River Hawks, however, were quick to respond, as Cali tallied a double of his own to begin the top of the ninth. Moments later, the freshman stole third before tagging up on a deep sac fly to left field off the bat of Kelly, extending the team's advantage to 6-3. In the bottom half of the final frame, Zarnoch closed the game strong, getting two batters to fly out to center before striking out the final batter looking to seal the 6-3 decision.
The River Hawks return to conference play this weekend when they travel to Maine on Friday, April 4, for the first game of the series. The first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Mahaney Diamond.
