LOWELL, Mass. – Junior Scott Donahue (Medfield, Mass.) went 2-for-4 at the plate with two doubles, an RBI, and a run, as the UMass Lowell baseball team (11-16, 3-5 AE) fell in the second game of the series, 7–2, against UAlbany (5-18, 3-5 AE) at Edward A. LeLacheur Park on Friday afternoon.
"It felt like we were pretty flat this game," said Head Coach Nick Barese. "I think defensively we were really timid. We didn't do a good job attacking the baseball, especially in the infield we just gave them opportunities. Then when you put on base runners because you're not playing aggressive defense and all of a sudden a single, a groundball sneaks through the left side like they did early in the game. Maybe there's groundball singles that don't hurt you that turn into two RBI singles or RBI singles. Against a guy like senior right-handed pitcher Dylan Banner who's been really good for four years now, you can't let him jump you like that and we just dug ourselves way too big of a hole. I think offensively we showed glimpses and we were fine. We hit balls hard and early on there we had them on the ropes in the first inning, first and second nobody out then we go punchout, punchout and that's tough, but that's what makes him a good pitcher. He's been really good for four years, Dylan Banner."
Junior Rowan Masse (Manchester, Conn.) also knocked two hits in the contest, while senior Carlos Martinez (Coamo, Puerto Rico) posted a double and a run. Junior Alfred Mucciarone (Franklin, Mass.) got the start on the mound, pitching 3.0 innings with two strikeouts, as graduate student Frankie DeMaro (Newburgh, N.Y.) came in at relief, going 3.1 innings with three strikeouts and no runs in his outing.
Although the River Hawks put two on base in the opening inning, the Great Danes escaped unscathed. UAlbany then loaded the bases in its first trip to the dish, using a pair of RBI singles to take a 3–0 lead. The second was scoreless for both sides, but UAlbany recorded three runs in the third to push its lead to 6–0. In the fourth, Martinez and Donahue ripped back-to-back doubles to put UMass Lowell on the board at 6–1. DeMaro, who relieved Mucciarone in the fourth, controlled the mound right away after adding a punchout and then closing the frame on a strikeout looking.
With two outs in the top of the fifth, a pair of singles from Masse and redshirt-sophomore Sean O'Leary (Foxboro, Mass.) gave UMass Lowell a pair of runners on base, but the score remained unchanged. DeMaro wrapped up the bottom of the frame quickly, ending on a strikeout. Donahue started his at-bat in the sixth battling two strikes and one out, but the junior cracked a double before advancing to third on a groundout. The Great Danes pitcher then tossed a wild pitch that gave Donhaue time to slide home, making it a four-run difference, 6–2.
In the eighth, a single by graduate student Nicholas Solorzano (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) kick started the offense, but back-to-back outs by the Great Danes would finish the frame. After UAlbany added another run on an RBI single in the bottom of the inning, UMass Lowell had one last chance to rally. A single by graduate student Jorge Burgos (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) put a runner on, but the Great Danes held on to seal the 7–2 decision on Friday.
The River Hawks are back tomorrow, April 4, for the series finale against UAlbany in Lowell, Mass. The contest is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. at Edward A. LeLacheur Park.
