LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell baseball team (19-25, 9-13 AE) fell to the Maine Black Bears (24-14, 19-3 AE) by a score of 5-4 on Friday night.
 
"I thought [Matt] Draper was good for us. One hit and punched out four, we just didn't take advantage of our opportunities," said head coach Ken Harring. "Our offense has been so good in situations like that, so we have to find a way to get it done against a very good Maine club."
 
Senior Robert Gallagher (Mullica Hill, N.J.) and freshman Brandon Fish (Londonderry, N.H.) led the offense with two hits and one RBI each. Sophomore Fritz Genther (Kingston, N.Y.) hit his eighth home run of the season with a two-run shot in the third inning. Freshman Jacob Humphrey (Standish, ME.) picked up another stolen base, his league-leading 39^th stolen base this season.
 
On the mound, freshman LJ Keevan (Holden, Mass.) got the start and threw 5.0 innings, striking out three and allowing four earned runs. Senior Matt Draper (Lowell, Mass.) threw 4.0 innings, striking out four and retiring 10 straight batters.
 
LJ Keevan took the mound to start the game and threw a 1-2-3 first inning on just seven pitches. Senior Gerry Siracusa (Kinnelon, N.J.) tallied the first hit of the night for the River Hawks in the bottom of the first but was left stranded as the inning ended. With the bases loaded and nobody out in the top of the second, Keevan struck out Turenne. A sacrifice fly scored one for the Black Bears, giving them a 1-0 lead with runners on the corners. A single to left scored another run before a bases loaded walk gave Maine a 3-0 lead.
 
The River Hawks answered in the bottom of the second when Fritz Genther drilled a two-run shot over the left field scoreboard to cut the lead to 3-2. With two out and runners on first and second, Robert Gallagher singled to right field to score freshman Alex Luccini (Hopedale, Mass.), tying the game at 3-3 after two. Keevan started the third with a big strikeout, getting Maine's Bramanti to go down swinging. The freshman forced a fly out and struck out Jenkins to end the inning.
 
UMass Lowell went three up, three down in the third and the game remained tied heading into the fourth. Keevan threw another 1-2-3 inning for the River Hawks in the fourth frame. Maine took a 4-3 lead in the fifth on a sacrifice fly to center before bringing in a fifth run on a throwing error by the River Hawks. After a leadoff single and stolen base from Gallagher, Brandon Fish's RBI double brought in the senior to make it a 5-4 game.
 
Matt Draper took over on the mound in the sixth and threw a scoreless inning with one strikeout. The River Hawks left two runners stranded in the sixth and headed into the seventh trailing 5-4. Draper struck out two in a 1-2-3 seventh inning, giving the River Hawks another chance at the plate. Fish hit a leadoff single and advanced to second on a wild pitch, but UMass Lowell could not bring the tying run in. Draper threw another 1-2-3 inning, picking up another strikeout in the top of the eighth, but the River Hawks were retired in order ending the eighth inning.
 
In the ninth, Draper continued to pitch well, retiring the side in order, and retiring 10 straight batters, once again giving the River Hawks a chance to win the game in the final frame. UMass Lowell was unable to find the winning run and fell 5-4 in game one of the weekend series.  
 
Game two is set for Saturday, May 7 at 1:00 p.m. at LeLacheur Park. Prior to the first pitch, the River Hawks will hold a senior day and commencement ceremony to celebrate the graduating class.