LOWELL, Mass. – Sophomore Brayden Cali (Taunton, Mass.) was perfect at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a triple, while also tallying two RBI and a run, as the UMass Lowell baseball team (16–24, 6–12 AE) put up a strong fight against No. 20 Boston College (34–14), but dropped a tight, 7–6 decision at Edward A. LeLacheur Park on Tuesday.
"I thought pitching as a whole was okay," said Head Coach Nick Barese. "Doney did a good job getting us off to a good start, and giving us a few innings there in the beginning and minimizing, especially that first inning. Dunlea same thing. He did a pretty good job for us. LeFrancois was great at the end. Zawatsky with that one out spot there when he came in, we had a base open there, but then he gets the last out and really keeps things manageable which was at a huge point in the game. Overall, the pitching was good enough today. Defensively, we made above average and the extraordinary plays, but it felt like the routine plays we struggled a little bit."
Senior Carlos Martinez (Coamo, Puerto Rico) went 3-for-5 with a run, while redshirt-sophomore Sean O'Leary (Foxboro, Mass.) went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run in the contest. Junior Scott Donahue (Medfield, Mass) also posted a multi-hit game with two hits and an RBI. Up on the bump to start, freshman Josh Doney (Lynn, Mass.) pitched three innings in the contest. Out of the bullpen, freshman Tyler Dunlea (Attleboro, Mass.) tossed two innings with two strikeouts and no earned runs, as sophomore Jake LeFrancois (Worcester, Mass.) went two innings with three strikeouts.
The Eagles created some early opportunities, using a triple and a groundout to jump ahead for an early, 2–0 lead. Martinez and Donahue would each knock a single in the bottom of the first, but were stranded. After Doney retired the side with a quick double play in the top of the second, UMass Lowell put two on with two outs, as junior Ryan Strand (Goffstown, N.H.) walked and Cali singled. Up next, O'Leary came through, sending a single through the left side to bring in a run and make it 2–1. Boston College responded though, scoring on a wild pitch to reestablish a two-run lead, 3–1, in the visitors' half of the third. The River Hawks kept the pressure on, as Martinez led off with a single, moved to second on a groundout, and then stole third. Graduate student Nicholas Solorzano (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) followed with a fielder's choice, allowing Martinez to score, cutting the difference to 3–2. Entering the fourth, the Eagles used a sacrifice fly and an error to extend their lead to 5–2.
Boston College added two more scores in the fifth to stretch its lead to 7–2. UMass Lowell then loaded the bases with a Donahue walk, junior Rowan Masse (Manchester, Conn.) getting hit by a pitch, and a single by freshman Tyler Kisling (New Milford, Conn.), but the Eagles escaped the jam and kept the River Hawks off the board to close the frame. In the sixth, Dunlea came on in relief and recorded two strikeouts, including one to end the top half. The River Hawks opened their sixth-inning at-bats with singles from Cali and O'Leary, before senior Joseph DeLanzo (Nutley, N.J.) added a base hit to drive in a run and drop the deficit to 7–3. In the same frame, Donahue delivered an RBI single, plating O'Leary to narrow the gap to 7–4. After a solid defensive frame, the River Hawks came to bat in the seventh with Masse starting things off with a double and Kisling working a walk. With Strand's sacrifice bunt advancing both runners, Cali drilled a two-run triple down the left side to bring UMass Lowell within a run, 7–6.
Opening the eighth, LeFrancois was electric, striking out the side to get his team right back to the plate. Although Martinez singled, the Eagles remained steady defensively, setting up a final inning for both teams. LeFrancois worked a 1-2-3 top of the ninth, but Boston College preserved the lead to claim a 7–6 outcome.
The River Hawks take a few days off before returning on Saturday, May 2, when they match up against Stony Brook for non-conference road action at Joe Nathan Field. The first game is set to start at 12 p.m. in Stony Brook, N.Y.
