ORONO, Maine – Junior Carlos Martinez (Coamo, Puerto Rico) went 2-for-3 at the plate with one home run, as the UMass Lowell baseball team (12-18) fell in a 3-2 contest against the Maine Black Bears (10-20) on Sunday afternoon. 

"Really well pitched game on both sides," said Head Coach Nick Barese. "They cashed in on their limited opportunities offensively and we didn't. That was the difference."

Senior Brandon Fish (Londonderry, N.H.) recorded one hit for a home run to add to the offense, while senior Alex Luccini (Hopedale, Mass.) posted one hit for a double on the day.

Graduate student Kevin Zarnoch Jr. (Boston, Mass.) got the start on the mound, pitching four innings and tossing two strikeouts. Graduate student Dylan Bedder (New Providence, N.J.) threw two frames and struck out three batters. Redshirt-sophomore Nick Dirito (Plymouth, Mass.) also made an appearance, recording one strikeout in two innings pitched.  

The defense controlled the game early, as Zarnoch held his own in the first frame, forcing a 3-6-1 double play. In the top of the second, Martinez swung hard, sending the ball high over the right field wall to put UMass Lowell up, 1-0. Zarnoch then made quick work of the opposition in the home half, sitting down the Black Bears in order.

In the fourth, Fish stepped up to bat with two outs and reached on a walk to extend the inning for Martinez, who cracked a double, although both runners were stranded. The Maine bats came to life in the bottom of the fourth, as the team totaled three runs on four hits, including a two-RBI double to create a 3-1 advantage. 

Bedder threw three straight strikeouts to quickly close the fifth. The River Hawks built on the momentum in the sixth when Fish stepped to the plate and smacked a two-out homer, cutting the deficit to just one, 3-2. Dirito came out of the bullpen in the seventh, holding the Black Bears with back-to-back groundouts and a batter caught looking to close the frame. 

The eighth was a 1-2-3 inning for both sides. Leading off for UMass Lowell in the ninth, Luccini waited for the right pitch, knocking a double to left center, before advancing to third on a groundout. The Black Bears closed the door, though, on a double play to seal the 3-2 outcome. 

The River Hawks are back on Tuesday, April 8, to take on Boston College in Brighton, Mass. The game is set to start at 4 p.m. at Eddie Pellagrini Diamond.