LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Alex Luccini (Hopedale, Mass.) posted one hit, two RBI, and one run, as the UMass Lowell baseball team (17-31, 8-13 AE) dropped the first game of the weekend against the Boston College Eagles (24-26), 8-3, on Saturday afternoon
“Really came down to one inning,” said Head Coach Nick Barese. “They put a good swing on a ball with the bases loaded and that was the difference. I know we need to do a better job offensively of producing runs. We just need to grind out at-bats and get some timely hitting.”
Junior Carlos Martinez (Coamo, Puerto Rico) recorded a triple and one RBI, while senior Brandon Fish (Londonderry, N.H.) added one hit and one run.
Sophomore Alfred Mucciarone (Franklin, Mass.) got the start on the mound, tossing 3.2 innings with three strikeouts. Junior Brian Foley (Milton, Mass.) went 1.1 innings, fanning two batters, and graduate student Miles Cota (Hampstead, N.C.) pitched 4.0 innings, striking out three batters.
Although he hit the first batter of the game, Mucciarone stayed calm on the mound, striking out the next batter before closing out the inning on a ground out to keep the opposition scoreless. The senior continued his strong outing into the next two innings, striking out one more while not allowing another base runner through three. Meanwhile, at the plate, the River Hawks went to work in the bottom of the third, starting with a walk by freshman Brayden Cali (Taunton, Mass.) followed by a single by Fish to put two on. Moments later, after senior Conor Kelly (Hopkinton, Mass.) advanced both runners into scoring position, Luccini ripped a one-out single to center, driving in both runners to give UMass Lowell a 2-0 edge. Immediately after, Martinez cracked a triple on the third pitch to drive in Luccini, extending the lead to 3-0.
The Eagles responded quickly, using a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases, before a grand slam put the visitors on top, 4-3, in the top of the fourth. Later in the inning, they added one more to make it a two-run game, but Foley stepped up, inducing a groundout with two on to prevent any further damage. In the fifth, the visitors drove in two more to stretch the margin to 7-3, but Foley once again escaped the jam, tossing two strikeouts to send the game to the bottom of the fifth.
Cota took over on the mound in the sixth, walking the first batter faced before retiring the next three batters to make quick work of the Eagles offense. Looking to start a comeback, senior Jake Fitzgibbons (Franklin, Mass.) hit a two-out single in the bottom of the inning, but the Eagles shut the door with a strikeout to close out the frame. With the score still the same entering the eighth, the Eagles added to their lead, hitting a leadoff home run to make it 8-3.
In the bottom of the eighth, sophomore Scott Donahue (Medfield, Mass.) drew a walk to help build momentum for his squad. Boston College continued to fight off any scoring opportunities for the River Hawks, though, preventing the runner from advancing past first before getting three outs in the ninth, sealing the 8-3 decision.
Before the game, the River Hawks honored their nine seniors and three graduate students with a Senior Day ceremony.
The River Hawks return for the final home game of the 2025 season against Boston College on Sunday, May 11, in Lowell, Mass. The first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Edward A. LeLacheur Park.