ORONO, Maine – Senior Zachary Scott (Lunenburg, Mass.) hit well at the plate, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run in the contest, as the UMass Lowell baseball team (18–27, 8–12 AE) broke the game open with a six-run fourth inning before holding on for a 7–6 win over Maine (17–29, 11–9 AE) in game two at Mahaney Diamond on Saturday.
"Really tough win," said Head Coach Nick Barese. "Although the score wasn't indicitive of Jette's performance, I thought he pitched great today. LeFrancois was lights out from the pen. The six spot ended up being the difference, but I thought we had a lot of great at bats. Cali's triple, Zach Scott's base hit bunt, DeLanzo's sac fly and two strike, two out single. It was a good series win."
Junior Ryan Strand (Goffstown, N.H.) also knocked two hits in the game and added a run, while redshirt sophomore Sean O'Leary (Foxboro, Mass.) posted a hit with two RBI and a run, and junior Rowan Masse (Manchester, Conn.) tallied a hit and two runs. Senior Jacob Jette (Franklin, Mass.) made his 11th start on the mound this season, pitching 6.0 innings with a strikeout to earn his second win of the season. Entering in relief, sophomore Jake LeFrancois (Worcester, Mass.) tossed 3.0 innings with a strikeout, allowing two hits and just one earned run as the right-hander earned his second save of the season.
The first inning flew by for both sides, as the frame was scoreless with Jette keeping the opponent hitless in the frame. The River Hawks were shut down again in the second at the plate, before Maine jumped in front early with a solo shot to take a 1–0 lead. Although Scott reached on a fielder's choice then stole second, followed by O'Leary drawing a walk, the Black Bears escaped the jam unscathed to keep their one-run lead. In the home half of the third, Jette made quick work of the opposition, recording a 1-2-3 frame to send his team back to the plate. UMass Lowell quickly loaded the bases in the fourth from walks by freshman Cal Chance (Wolcott, Conn.) and senior Carlos Martinez (Coamo, Puerto Rico), while Masse reached base on an error. Senior Joseph DeLanzo (Nutley, N.J.) followed, driving a run home on a sacrifice fly, before Scott posted an RBI bunt single and O'Leary knocked a two-run single through the right side, giving UMass Lowell its first lead, 4–1. Sophomore Brayden Cali (Taunton, Mass.) capped the inning off by drilling a triple down the left field line, plating two runs for a five-run lead.
In the fifth, UMass Lowell stayed aggressive on offense, with Masse advancing on a one-out single before DeLanzo ripped a two-out base hit, helping push the River Hawks' lead to 7–1. Jette stayed strong on the mound, leaving the opposition scoreless in the fifth, ending the frame on a grounded double play. Heading into the sixth, the Black Bears made quick work on the River Hawks' offense before tallying a two-run homer to trim the deficit to 7–3. In the seventh, Strand walked with two outs and stole second, but Maine locked in defensively, getting the third out before he could make it home. As the game progressed, Maine added two more runs in the same inning to pull back within two.
The Black Bears kept up their strong defensive play, sitting the side down in order in the top of the eighth before plating a run on a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 7–6. Following a clean top of the ninth from Maine, LeFrancois responded well, closing out game two by striking out the first batter faced, and then forcing a fielder's choice and a groundout to complete the River Hawks' 7–6 win on Saturday.
The River Hawks are back in Orono, Maine for the series finale against the Maine Black Bears on Sunday, May 10. The contest is scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m. at Mahaney Diamond.
