VESTAL, N.Y. – Senior Carlos Martinez (Coamo, Puerto Rico) went 2-for-5 at the plate with a home run and a double, while also tallying two runs, an RBI, a strikeout and his third save of the season, as the UMass Lowell baseball team (8-9) clawed its way back to win in extra innings, 7-5, against Binghamton (6-11) in its first conference matchup of the season.
"Good win to start conference play," said Head Coach Nick Barese. "Mucciarone was true to form and gave us a great start on the mound. LeFrancois was lights out out of the pen, and Carlos continues to be that consistent back end arm for us. Offensively, I thought DC did a great job putting together a gameplan for our guys to execute. Big swings out of Jorge and Carlos, and the biggest one was a huge pinch hit RBI from Donahue. Really happy with how the guys played today."
Two other River Hawks, junior Rowan Masse (Manchester, Conn.) and senior Joseph DeLanzo (Nutley, N.J.) each posted multi-hit performances in today's contest. Masse went 2-for-4 at the plate with a run, while DeLanzo went 2-for-4 at the plate. Graduate student Jorge Burgos (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) knocked his second home run of the season today, adding two RBI and a run. Junior Alfred Mucciarone (Franklin, Mass.) started on the bump, pitching 5.1 innings with six strikeouts. Sophomore Jake LeFrancois (Worcester, Mass.) secured his second victory of the season after going 3.2 innings with three strikeouts, while also allowing just one hit and zero runs.
The first inning was clean for both teams, as the score stayed even after the frame ended on a line drive to left field. Although the Bearcats collected two outs defensively to begin the second, Masse and DeLanzo stroked a pair of singles into the outfield before DeLanzo crowded second after a stolen base. However, Binghamton didn't allow the River Hawks to take advantage of runners in scoring position, escaping the jam to close the visitors' half of the second. Mucciarone continued his start on the mound in the second, striking out his sixth batter faced, eventually shutting the door on the next batter for the right-hander's second punchout of the game. The third inning moved quickly, with both teams going three up and three down, as Mucciarone registered back-to-back strikeouts in the frame.
In the fourth, the Bearcats capitalized on their first scoring opportunity of the afternoon, as they scored on a sacrifice fly and a two-run homer to make it a 3–0 margin for the home side. The River Hawks remained aggressive in the fifth, looking to get on the board, with Masse earning a walk and senior Zachary Scott (Lunenburg, Mass.) ripping a double. Binghamton stayed solid in the field, though, preventing the visitors from tallying their first run of the day, but Mucciarone produced three straight groundouts to wrap up the home half of the fifth.
With two outs in the top of the sixth, Martinez ripped a double to right-center, setting up Burgos for a chance to get the offense rolling. The graduate student stepped to the plate and waited until the fourth pitch, smacking the ball high and far over the left field wall for a two-run home run to cut the deficit to 3–2. However, the Bearcats responded instantly, adding three more runs for a 5–2 difference in the bottom of the sixth, before LeFrancois closed the door on a strikeout to end the frame. The River Hawks moved into the seventh, where junior Ryan Strand (Goffstown, N.H.) reached on a single. The junior was quick to make his way around the bases, using three straight balks to get his team back on the scoreboard and make it 5–3. The next inning, UMass Lowell continued to put in work at the plate, this time with Martinez working a full count before launching a solo shot to right to make it 5–4. Following in the batting order, Masse singled, DeLanzo was hit by a pitch, and Strand walked. With the bases loaded, freshman Cal Chance (Wolcott, Conn.) seized the moment, battling to a full count before drawing a walk to tie the game at 5–5 after eight innings.
LeFrancois, putting together a solid performance on the mound, struck out two in the eighth and later closed the ninth with a groundout to second, keeping the game knotted up through nine, sending the game to extras. Leading off the 10th, DeLanzo ripped a base hit before sophomore Brayden Cali (Taunton, Mass.) entered as a pinch runner and advanced to second on a sacrifice hit from Scott. Coming in as a pinch hitter, junior Scott Donahue (Medfield, Mass.) delivered, lining a single to left field to score Cali and give the River Hawks their first lead of the game. In the same frame, Donahue stole second and added a run on an error, stretching UMass Lowell's lead to 7–5. Taking the mound to close the game, Martinez struck out his first batter faced before eventually earning his third save of the season, capping a 7–5 10th-inning triumph for UMass Lowell.
The River Hawks are back Saturday, March 21, for their second game of the series against Binghamton in Vestal, N.Y. The first pitch is set to begin at 2:00 p.m. at the Bearcats Baseball Complex.
