RBI groundout gives UMass Lowell a 2-1 win over UMBC

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Starting pitchers Luke Johnson of the Retrievers and LJ Keevan of the River Hawks matched each other pitch for pitch. Keevan would have more stressful innings than Johnson based on having more traffic on the bases. But like his coach Ken Harring said “he has great command of three pitches and throws strikes.” On Friday night, Keevan had both. That is not to say that UMBC did not have chances to score earlier because they did. In the third, back-to-back hits by Zach Dzarnowski and Matt Ryan had the Retrievers in business with first and third with no one out. Keevan was masterful in getting out of the jam getting a strikeout on the number nine hitter Christian Easley. Then he retired the top two hitters in the UMBC order. He got Myles Nicholson on a pop-out to second, then got another punch out of the #2 hitter Dave Roberts. In the fourth, another first and third were shut down by Keevan by getting Dzarnowski to strike out swinging.If you are a fan of close baseball games and pitching duels, then Friday night at LeLacheur Park was your kind of baseball. The UMBC Retrievers (12-16, 4-6 in AE) and the UMass Lowell River Hawks (10-16, 4-6 in AE) staged one of the better college games you will see this spring. The River Hawks came through in the bottom of the eighth down 1-0 by putting together gritty at-bats. Senior CR Gerry Siracusa drove in the winning run on an RBI groundout scoring Jacob Humphrey giving the River Hawks a tough but well-earned 2-1 victory.

Meanwhile, Johnson was cruising allowing only one River Hawks batter to reach second base through six innings. In the seventh, UMass Lowell put together their first threat of the night against him. Siracusa led off with a single to center field. Brandon Fish followed with a bunt single down the third base line. Siracusa would then steal third base on a pitch in the dirt. Johnson took over striking out Cedric Rose and Jimmy Sullivan and finished the inning by inducing Ryan Proto to ground out to SS. The game was still scoreless through seven innings.

In the eighth, Keevan started to lose his mechanics. Retrievers head coach Liam Bowen sent up a couple of pinch-hitters and both came through. First, PH Logan Doran doubled to the wall in left center. Then, Michael Cilio was hit by a pitch and Keevan was done (7 IP, 6H, 1R,5 SO, 0 BB, 1 HBP). Herring called on Michael Quigley who walked the first man he faced in Nicholson to load the bases. The next man up, Roberts, hit a fielder’s choice ground ball to shortstop Fritz Genther who threw home to get the lead man. With the bases still loaded and now one out, Quigley walked Ian Diaz to force home a run. He would stay out of further trouble by getting the next two hitters. UMBC now had a 1-0 lead to protect.

With Johnson still on the mound, the River Hawks went to work. Genther got it started with a base hit to right field. He was sacrificed to second by pinch hitter Jake Fitzgibbons. Johnson was finished for the night (7.1 IP, 8H, 2ER, 1BB, 6SO). Evan Selmer was called on by UMBC to keep the lead. Instead, he would give up a single to Humphrey to right field through the 3-4 hole. It scored Genther with the tying run. Robert Gallagher was then hit by a pitch to bring Siracusa to the plate. Humphrey took third base on a wild pitch by Selmer. Siracusa then brought him home by hitting a ground ball to the 5-6 hole. Third baseman Doran made a diving stop to his left but his only play was to first. Humphrey scored the go-ahead run to make it 2-1 River Hawks.

Ken Harring once again called on one of his starters to save the game. Joshua Becker came on in the ninth to slam the door shut on UMBC. He did give up a two-out hit to PH Jayden Shertel to keep the game alive for the Retrievers. But then fanned Cilio to end the game and pick up his second save of the season. The win goes to Quigley now 1-2, and Johnson gets the tough-luck loss. He is now 2-2. Saturday afternoon will be game two with Ryan Towle going for the River Hawks.

Heer is our interview with head coach Ken Harring after the game