SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior Carlos Martinez (Coamo, Puerto Rico) performed well at the plate going 2-for-4 with a double and two runs, as the UMass Lowell baseball team (4-7) fought off Sacramento State (5-11), 7-2, in a midweek contest at John Smith Field on Tuesday night.
"Great team win today," said Head Coach Nick Barese. "I can't say enough about the bullpen, especially Nolan Geisler. Two massive double plays in huge spots. Offensively we kept plugging away, and Cali got the big hit when we needed it."
Senior Joseph DeLanzo (Nutley, N.J.) also went 2-for-4 at bat with two RBI, as junior Scott Donahue (Medfield, Mass.) added a hit, a run, and an RBI in the contest. Beginning on the bump, graduate student Frankie DeMaro (Newburgh, N.Y.) pitched 4.0 innings with two strikeouts, allowing one run in his outing. Sophomore Nolan Geisler (Bayonne, N.J.) got his first win of the season, going 1.2 innings with a strikeout, while freshman Josh Doney (Lynn, Mass.) went 2.0 innings, tossing two strikeouts.
The first inning ended quickly for either side, as DeMaro began the game on the mound for the River Hawks, punching out a batter early to close the frame. Back up to bat, UMass Lowell walked its first two batters in Martinez and graduate student Nicholas Solorzano (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) after battling the count. DeLanzo followed in the order, stroking a single through the left side to drive Martinez home, taking the first lead of the contest, 1-0. Although the Hornets added a single in the bottom half, DeMaro stayed collected, as a foul ball caught by Donahue and a swing and a miss concluded the inning. The River Hawks maintained their lead through the third, eventually adding another score in the visitors half of the fourth. Martinez cracked a double to advance redshirt-sophomore Sean O'Leary (Foxboro, Mass.) to third before Donahue recorded an RBI on a groundout, making it a 2-0 UMass Lowell lead.
Sacramento State responded though in the home half of the fourth, narrowing the gap to one run, 2-1. The fifth was runless for both teams, as sophomore Jake LeFrancois (Worcester, Mass.) got out of the jam after starting with two singles, closing on back-to-back fly-ball outs. However, the Hornets stuck with it offensively, tying the game at 2-2, but Geisler entered the game, wrapping up the frame with a 6-4-3 double play. Now in the seventh inning, a pair of singles from Donahue and DeLanzo had two on base for the River Hawks. Sophomore Brayden Cali (Taunton, Mass.) came after, ripping a single down the left field line to plate Donahue on the play, reclaiming the lead at 3-2 in the top of the frame.
Momentum grew for UMass Lowell in the eighth inning, as junior Rowan Masse (Manchester, Conn.) led off with a walk and then took third after the pitcher made an error. O'Leary on the four pitch smacked the ball to right center for a double, driving Masse in for a 4-2 lead. Martinez hit a single, and Solorzano reached on a fielder's choice to add another run with O'Leary tagging home. Junior Ryan Strand (Goffstown, N.H.) entered as a pinch runner for Solorzano, eventually advanced to second with Martinez adding a run after an RBI groundout by DeLanzo. Strand stole third, and was home in no time after Chance walked with the bases loaded, extending UMass Lowell's lead to 7-2. The River Hawks delivered clutch defensive plays down the stretch. With Doney on the mound as closer, the game ended on a called third strike, securing a 7-2 victory over Sacramento State.
The River Hawks will resume play this Thursday, March 12, as the team heads to Pepperdine for a four-game series in Malibu, Calif. The first pitch is set to begin at 6 p.m. ET.
