BRIGHTON, Mass. – Junior Rowan Masse (Manchester, Conn.) was perfect at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a double, while also adding a run and an RBI, as the UMass Lowell baseball team (7-9) fell, 12-2, in a midweek contest against Boston College (13-8) on Wednesday afternoon.
"Struggled in every facet today," said Head Coach Nick Barese. "Hopefully we got that out of our system before a big conference weekend."
Senior Zachary Scott (Lunenburg, Mass.) went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and an RBI, while graduate student Nicholas Solorzano (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) posted a hit and a run in the contest. Graduate student Frankie DeMaro (Newburgh, N.Y.) went 1.0 inning in the start. Sophomore Jake Zawatsky (Billerica, Mass.) and senior Liam Rose (Voorhees, N.J.) entered as relief pitchers, with Zawatsky going 1.0 inning with no hits and runs, and Rose went 1.0 inning with a strikeout and allowed no hits or runs.
The Eagles jumped out early in the first inning after recording a three-run home run before ending on a flyout to center field. With two outs in the top of the second frame, Masse knocked a double to left center, with Scott next at-bat, who also cracked a double to send the junior home to cut the difference to two, 3-1. Boston College retaliated, adding two more runs in the bottom of the second to extend their lead to 5-1. In the third, UMass Lowell had two runners on after freshman Hector Gonzalez (Liverpool, N.Y.) drew a walk and freshman Cal Chance (Wolcott, Conn.) recorded a single, before both eventually stole a base to put runners on second and third for the River Hawks. The Eagles prevented any runners from scoring, though, finishing the third inning with the score unchanged.
After a groundout opened the top of the fourth, Masse worked a full count and drew a walk. Scott followed with a single to right-center, and freshman Tyler Kisling (New Milford, Conn.) was hit by a pitch to load the bases for UMass Lowell, but Boston College's defense held strong to keep the visitors off the board. The Eagles extended their lead over the next two innings, plating two runs in each to take a 9–1 advantage after five frames. Although Masse led off the sixth with a single for the River Hawks, Boston College locked in on defense once again before stretching its lead to 11–1 in the home half of the inning.
Looking to spark a comeback, Masse used a single in the seventh to drive in Solorzano to put the River Hawks back on the board. Rose followed up with a perfect inning in the bottom half of the seventh, retiring Boston College in order to bring the River Hawks backup to the plate in the eighth. The visitors, however, were unable to plate another run, while the Eagles added one more, sealing the 12-2 decision.
The River Hawks are back in action on Friday, March 20, as the team travels to Binghamton for their first conference series of the season in Vestal, N.Y. The first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Bearcats Baseball Complex.
