BC Ruins UMass-Lowell Senior Night with a 6-1 victory

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BC ruins senior night.

It was senior night at LeLacheur Park in Lowell. Two members of the UMass-Lowell River Hawks team were honored before the game by Head Coach Ken Harring and the program. Those two players were Max Frawley and Steve Xirinachs. These two players have helped the River Hawks go from a Division II team to Division I team and lay the foundation for what is to come.

As for the game, it was a BC night both on the mound and at the plate. Sophomore Jack Nelson threw five innings of one-hit shutout ball, while the offense was led by Senior Michael Strem who came through with a double with the base loaded in the eighth inning to help the Eagles get a midweek win on the road VS the River Hawks 6-1.

The River Hawks sent the Senior Xirinachs to the mound in front of the home crowned and his family. He got into a little trouble in the third when backup catcher Aaron Soucy single to center field. He would be wild pitched to second and would later score on a sac fly off the bat of Donovan Casey. 1-0 BC.

Boston College added two more in the sixth off of Xirinachs who began to tire in the inning. A leadoff triple off the wall in right field by Gian Martellini, who been swinging a good bat of late, was followed by a RBI single off the bat of Jake Alu. 2-0 Eagles. Alu would then steal second and be balked to third. It would be the night for Xirinachs who nonetheless pitch well, going five-plus giving up six hits and three earned runs. His replacement, Kendall Pomeroy, gave up a sac fly to Mitch Bigras to make the score 3-0 BC.

While the hitters were getting runs Nelson was throwing strikes and getting quick innings for his defense. Head Coach Mike Gambino said after the game Nelson “threw strikes’, but still needs a little more work on his changeup but liked what he saw and thinks he can be a part of the weekend rotation in years to come.

The Eagles would tack on a single run in the seventh and two more in the eighth against the River Hawks bullpen. Meanwhile, their hitters had a tough time vs Boston College’s pen until Michael Young broke the shutout bid of the Eagles with a RBI single in the ninth off relief pitcher John Witkowski to make the final score 6-1 BC.

Looking ahead Boston College makes their final road trip of the season this weekend at Wake Forest. Coach Gambino says he “likes his team chances down there”. He also said the park plays small but his weekend starters have been throwing the ball well.

One final note on UMASS Lowell. The team’s other senior, Max Frawley, did play in this game. He batted leadoff as the DH and popped out to the first baseman. He would be pinch-hit for when his spot in the order came around again.

For the Eagles, the win puts them at 18-24 overall. For the River Hawks, the loss has them at 22-18 with a big road test this weekend at Binghamton who is leading America East at the moment.