LOWELL, Mass. – Junior Carlos Martinez (Coamo, Puerto Rico) recorded a double, as the UMass Lowell baseball team (17-32, 8-13 AE) dropped the home finale to the Boston College Eagles (25-26), 5-0, on Sunday afternoon.
Sophomore Ryan Strand (Goffstown, N.H.) also added a double, while four other River Hawks recorded a hit.
Redshirt junior Brendan Holland (North Andover, Mass.) started on the mound, going 3.0 innings with one strikeout and one earned run. Freshman Nolan Geisler (Bayonne, N.J.) went 3.0 innings, striking out one batter without allowing a run.
Although the River Hawks got a quick first out to open the game, the Eagles struck early, using a single and a pair of stolen bases to put a runner on third, before a fielder's choice drove the run in, putting the Eagles on top, 1-0. Holland locked in though, not allowing another base runner over the next two innings to keep Boston College from extending the lead. Meanwhile, looking to plate the tying run, UMass Lowell recorded a hit in each of the first three innings, highlighted by a one-out double to left center by Martinez, but were unable to drive in a run, keeping the score the same after three.
Taking over on the mound in the fourth, Geisler went to work, getting the first batter to line out before ending the top half of the frame with a 4-6-3 double play. The freshman continued his strong outing in the fifth, collecting a strikeout while not allowing a hit in the inning to send his team up to bat. Stepping to the plate with two outs, Strand knocked a double down the right field line, but Boston College was once again able to escape without any damage, keeping it a one-run game through five.
In the sixth, the River Hawks began to hit their stride on offense, as senior Conor Kelly (Hopkinton, Mass.) led off with a single up the middle. On the next pitch, senior Jake Fitzgibbons (Franklin, Mass.) laid down a near-perfect bunt, moving Kelly to second, but the Eagles locked down, not allowing the runner to reach home, keeping UMass Lowell off the board. In the top of the seventh, the visitors added to their lead, using a pair of walks and a pair of singles to plate two runs and make it a three-run game. In the next inning, they added one more, making it 4-0 heading into the bottom of the eighth.
In the final two innings, the hosts looked to respond but were only able to get one runner on base on a single by senior Brandon Fish (Londonderry, N.H.). Meanwhile, the Eagles added a fifth run in the top of the ninth, sealing the 5-0 decision.
The River Hawks are back in action on Tuesday, May 11, at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I. The first pitch is set for 3 p.m. at Bill Beck Field.
