LITTLE FALLS, N.J. – Sophomore Scott Donahue (Medfield, Mass.) recorded a home run, as the UMass Lowell baseball team (18-34, 8-15 AE) dropped game two against the NJIT Highlanders (26-24, 13-10 AE), 4-2, on Friday night.
"Brendan Holland pitched incredibly, he certainly deserved better," said Head Coach Nick Barese. "One more chance tomorrow, and hopefully we can get a little help and extend our season."
Junior Carlos Martinez (Coamo, Puerto Rico) posted a double and one run, while sophomore Rowan Masse (Manchester, Ct.) collected one hit and one RBI.
Getting the start on the mound, redshirt junior Brendan Holland (North Andover, Mass.) pitched 7.0 innings, registering seven strikeouts without allowing a run. Graduate student Dylan Bedder (New Providence, N.J.) went 1.0 innings, adding two strikeouts.
The River Hawks started strong, as Donahue cracked a solo home run to left field to take an early 1-0 lead before Holland led a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts to end the first. Although the Highlanders were able to put two runners in scoring position in the home half of the second, Holland worked his way out of the jam, getting the last batter of the inning to line out to left field to hold the 1-0 advantage.
Leading off in the third, sophomore River Hart (Nashua, N.H.) reached on a walk, before stealing second to put himself in scoring position. Although the Highlanders prevented him from advancing any further, Holland used only eight pitches to collect three quick outs in the bottom of the frame to bring his squad back to the dish. After Martinez led off the fourth with a double to right field, Masse cracked a two-out RBI single to center, extending the River Hawks' lead to 2-0. Holland continued his strong outing on the mound, keeping the score the same thanks to a strikeout and a caught stealing by Donahue to close the inning.
In the home half of the fifth, NJIT used a pair of walks and a single to load the bases with two outs. Staying composed, Holland once again closed the door on the scoring opportunity for the opposition, getting a lineout to center for the third out. Over the next two innings, both sides locked in defensively, as Holland didn't allow any runs while adding three strikeouts to his total to maintain the 2-0 lead heading into the eighth.
Although the River Hawks were able to fill the bases with two outs in the top of the eighth, the Highlanders found a way out of the jam to keep it a two-run difference. With momentum on their side, the Highlanders hit their stride when they went to the plate, putting up four runs to take their first lead of the day, 4-2, with an inning to play. Looking to answer, Hart stroked a two-out double down the left field line in the ninth, but the visitors were unable to drive him home, sealing the 4-2 outcome.
The River Hawks return for the final game of the 2025 season against NJIT tomorrow, May 16, in Little Falls, N.J. The first pitch is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. at Yogi Berra Stadium.
