ORONO, Maine – Senior Conor Kelly (Hopkinton, Mass.) went 2-for-3 at bat with one RBI and three runs, as the UMass Lowell baseball team (12-16) came out on top, 8-5, at America East opponent Maine (8-20) on Friday afternoon. 

"I was really happy with how we played today," said Head Coach Nick Barese. "Our offense did a good job against a really good pitcher in Fitzgerald, extending at-bats and hitting situationally when the opportunities presented themselves. The difference was our pitching today. Mucciarone was fantastic and gave us a really solid start. Dirito shut the door in the ninth, and now we have the opportunity to win the series tomorrow."

Senior Brandon Fish (Londonderry, N.H.) recorded two hits and two RBI, while senior Alex Luccini (Hopedale, Mass.) posted an RBI triple and added two runs on the day. 

Starting at pitcher, sophomore Alfred Mucciarone (Franklin, Mass.) pitched 7.0 innings and fanned three batters. Redshirt-sophomore Nick Dirito (Plymouth, Mass.) closed the game for the River Hawks, tossing 1.0 inning, while collecting two strikeouts and earning one save.  

With the River Hawks up first, Kelly waited for his pitch, knocking a one-out single, before advancing two bases on a wild pitch. Fish then stepped to the plate, driving Kelly home to put his side on the board, 1-0. Quick to respond, the Black Bears followed with an RBI single and drove another runner home off a groundout to jump in front, 2-1. 

The River Hawk defense stayed connected throughout the next two innings, as Mucciarone forced a strikeout and a groundout to end the third. In the fourth, the home team took advantage of another ball put into play with runners in position, stretching the lead to 3-1. 

After sophomore River Hart (Nashua, N.H.) closed the fifth on a diving grab in right field, the River Hawks looked to rally, as Kelly hit a two-bagger before scoring off an RBI triple by Luccini. Fish kept the momentum going, smacking a single to right field and knotting the game at 3-3. Up on the mound, Mucciarone held the visitors to no runs during the home half of the sixth, striking out a batter to close the at-bat. 

In the seventh, freshman Brayden Cali (Taunton, Mass.) and Fish each registered an RBI for a 5-3 lead. Adding to the margin, junior Carlos Martinez (Coamo, Puerto Rico) then launched a one-bagger to left field, extending the buffer to 6-3. Back to the plate, Maine added one score on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the inning to pull back within two at 6-4.

During the eighth, sophomore Ryan Strand (Goffstown, N.H.) put a ball into play, allowing one to score before the visitors collected another run off a sacrifice fly for the largest lead of the game, 8-4. 

A single earned a run for the Black Bears before Fish made a heads-up double play to close the frame. With one final inning, the home side searched for any late scores, but Dirito stepped to the mound, striking out two straight batters and earning the save in the 8-5 decision over Maine.  

The River Hawks are back in action tomorrow, April 5, for the second matchup against the Black Bears in Orono, Maine. The first pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Mahaney Diamond.