BROOKLINE, Mass. – Senior Alex Luccini (Hopedale, Mass.) went 2-for-4 at bat with a double and one run, as the UMass Lowell baseball team (17-30, 8-13 AE) fell during the mid-week contest at Northeastern (38-9), 9-3, on Tuesday afternoon.
"When you have a team like Northeastern, you're going to have to play as close to perfect baseball as possible," said Head Coach Nick Barese. "We struggled to get ahead of hitters today and we put them in counts that allowed them to be aggressive."
Sophomore River Hart (Nashua, N.H.) added a home run on the day, while senior Brandon Fish (Londonderry, N.H.) posted an RBI and sophomore Rowan Masse (Manchester, Ct.) recorded a run, as well.
Sophomore Cam Sime (Pittsfield, Mass.) made his first start of the season, pitching 4.0 innings with one strikeout. Junior Brian Foley (Milton, Mass.) and senior Andres Hulfachor (Nashua, N.H.) both threw in one inning, tallying two strikeouts each. Freshman Jake LeFrancois (Worcester, Mass.) made an appearance in one inning, adding a strikeout.
Although the River Hawks started defensively with a strikeout from Sime, the Huskies used an early RBI single to put them on the board first. Eventually Northeastern added another score off a stolen base, pushing the margin to 2-0 after one inning.
The second inning was scoreless for both sides before the River Hawks started the third with a walk from Masse. Senior Jake Fitzgibbons (Franklin, Mass.) then stroked a single ahead of a sac bunt by freshman Brayden Cali (Taunton, Mass.) that moved both runners into scoring position. The River Hawks soon added their first run of the game thanks to an RBI from Fish, cutting the difference to 2-1. The Huskies answered, though, extending the lead to 3-1 in the fourth.
The River Hawks came to the plate in the fifth, when Hart cracked a leadoff homer to left field, closing the gap to just 4-2. Foley entered in the fifth, tossing two strikeouts, but the Huskies were able to respond with a home run to make it 6-2.
A pair of singles began the sixth for the River Hawks, as the runners crowded the corners, but the home side shut down any opportunities with a double play.
Over the next two innings, the Huskies built their lead to 9-2 after knocking three home runs. LeFrancois came in during the eighth, striking out the first batter faced, before closing the inning on an out at third, leaving one frame left to play.
Although Luccini led off with a double down the left field line, soon scoring on a wild pitch, but the Huskies were able to close the door for the River Hawks, sealing the 9-3 outcome.
The River Hawks prepare for their final home games this weekend, when they host Boston College on Saturday, May 10, in Lowell, Mass. Saturday is the official Senior Day ceremony, which will start at 4:30 p.m., and the first pitch will be at 5 p.m. at Edward A. LeLacheur
