UMass Lowell sweeps a DH from Bryant University 15-6, 5-4

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On Friday afternoon and night, they played two at Lelacheur Park. The UMass Lowell River Hawks (10-14, 3-2) used some clutch hitting and solid pitching to take the doubleheader from Bryant University (10-14-1, 1-4 ) by scores of 15-6 in game one and then a walk-off 5-4 game two. This was also “Morgan Message” day at the ballpark, where head coach Nick Barese said afterwards, “It’s really important for the school.”

What was also important was the two games themselves. In game one, the River Hawks’ bats were on display, banging out 13 hits with six going for extra bases. RF Carlos Martinez had a big day at the plate and in the field. At the dish, he was 4-for-7 with 6 RBI and 5 RS. He also hit two home runs, one in each game. His 2-run single in the first inning of game one got it started for UML off Bulldogs starter Luke Delongchamp. C Scott Donahue would follow with an RBI single to center, and UMass Lowell was off to a 3-0 lead after one inning.

Alfred Muccarione was the River Hawks’ starter in game one. He sailed through the first three innings, retiring nine of the first ten hitters he faced. He got into some trouble in both the fourth and fifth innings, giving up five runs before leaving the game with no outs in the fifth. His line was 4 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO. UMass Lowell would put game one away with back-to-back 5-run innings in the fifth and sixth. They would bat around in both innings against the starter Delongchamp (4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO) and the Bulldogs’ pen. In the fifth, the big blow was a 3-run HR by Martinez to RF. The home run was his third of the year and came off of relief pitcher Dylab Scudder (0-2). He had a rough two-thirds of an inning pitch allowing 4 ER on 2 hits and 2 walks. In the sixth, UML put together five more runs on three hits against Bryant relief pitchers TY Davis and Greg Gorman to finish the game 15-6. Andres Hulfachor (2-2) gets the win with one inning of two hits and an earned run.

Game two was about pitching, and Brendan Holland would get the no-decision going seven innings, allowing four hits, two of them HR’s, and three earned runs. He walked one and struck out 11. The 11 K’s tied a Division One record at UML for most strikeouts in a game that was set by Jack Reilly vs UAlbany in 2018. Holland did get off to a bad start as he walked the leadoff hitter Matt D’amato, then served up a 2-run HR to 3rd baseman Pat D’amico to LF. It was his fourth of the year, and Bryant was up 2-0. The River Hawks got one of those runs back on a sac-fly by Brandon Fish (3-for-5, 2 triples, 4 RS, 2 RBI in the two games) in the bottom of the first off of Michael Belcher. Holland gave that run back on a solo HR from 2nd baseman Zac Zyons to LF, his fourth of the year. 3-1 Bryant after four innings. In the fifth, UMass Lowell closed to within one as C Jake Fitzgibbons scored on a wild pitch from 3rd base to make 3-2 Bryant after 5 innings.

Belcher left after five innings (4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO) and in came Mark Scamardella, who gave up the lead on a RBI double to CF by Rowan Masse that scored Martinez, who led the innings off with a single to RF, 3-3 after seven. UML would take the lead in the eighth on a solo blast by Martinez to RF, his fourth of the year off of Toby Scheidt (2-2). It would give the River Hawks a 4-3 lead heading to the ninth. DiRito, who had already pitched two innings in game one, was called upon to save game two. After that, Dylan Bedder gave up a one-out double to Drew Wyers. Then, Zyons reached on a HBP, DiRito gave up a base hit to Sean Grady to RF. Martinez charged the ball and threw a one-hop strike to Fitzgibbons, who applied the tag to Wyers at the plate for the second out of the top of the ninth.

But DiRito did not get away with it as he would wild pitch the tying run home to make it a 4-4 game. In the bottom of the ninth, with Scheidt still on the mound for Bryant, he would walk Zachary Scott with two outs. Next man up, Conor Kelly, ripped a base hit to the right centerfield gap. Scott never stopped running and came all the way around to score the walk-off run for UML. They took game two 5-4. DiRito (2-0) was the winner.

Afterwards, Coach Barese thought Holland “was great” and believes Martinez is a “special hitter with an above average arm in the outfield.” If the weather holds off, the teams will play game three on Saturday afternoon with a first pitch set for noon.