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The start of an eight-game home stand for the UMass Lowell River Hawks (14-26, 6-10) did not go as planned. A five-run ninth inning by the Binghamton Bearcats (20-17, 9-7) put away any thought of the home stand getting off to a great start. The Bearcats took game one of the series on Friday night by an 8-1 score, and extended their winning streak to six games.
The offense has become a problem for the River Hawks of late. It could only muster a run in the second inning, briefly giving them a 1-0 lead. The run was scored on a well-timed double steal with River Hart stealing home. Other than that, Bearcats starter Hayden Tarsia (3-2) was in control. He would go seven innings, allowing three hits, one earned run, walking two, and striking out four. After the run was scored in the second, UML would not get a runner past second base for the rest of the night. When asked about the offense’s struggles of his team, River Hawks head coach Nick Barese said, “I don’t know.” He is considering lineup changes for Saturday’s game, but with a banged-up team, options are limited.
Alfred Muccirone (1-4) did everything he could on the mound to keep his team in the game. He threw eight innings, gave up six hits, two earned runs, three walks, and had five strikeouts. He threw 123 pitches, 78 for strikes. His only mistake came in the fifth inning when with one man out. Muccarione gave up a walk to Zack Bogacki, then a 2-run HR off the scoreboard in left to Devin Bade, his ninth of the year (3-for-4, 2 RS, 4 RBI). It gave the Bearcats a 2-1 lead in the fifth. A lead they never gave back.
That’s because the duo of Jake LeFrancios and Kevin Zarnock came out of the River Hawks bullpen in the ninth, and could not keep the game close. LeFrancois entered to start the ninth with his team trailing 3-1. He would get just two outs in the frame and also give up four runs. A double down the LF line by Bade, all of his hits were for extra bases, scored Matt Bolden to make it 4-1 Bearcats. Two batters later, Zack Kent hit a single to left that scored Bade to make it 5-1 Binghamton. LeFrancois left and Zarnock came in. With the bases loaded, Zarnock gave up a fly ball off the bat of Kevin Stellrecht into shallow right center field that found grass between three River Hawks players for a bases-clearing double (the fourth extra base hit of the game by Binghamton). It broke the game wide open at 8-1, Bearcats.
Brady Bouchard came out of the Bearcats’ pen to finish the game with two scoreless innings of relief. Binghamton takes game one on the road at LeLacheur Park, 8-1 over UMass Lowell.
Barese sounded frustrated after the game. He thought Muccarione was “Fantastic.” He got big strikeouts when needed. The one pitch to Bade was a “Slider that Bade jumped on.” UMass Lowell needs to start figuring this out. With Friday night’s loss, they are tied with UAlbany in the loss column. Saturday is game two, and Brendan Holland gets the ball for UML.
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