Bulldogs clipped by UMass Lowell, 3-2

LOWELL, Mass. – A pair of two-out runs in the middle innings gave UMass Lowell a two-run lead and the River Hawks held on for a 3-2 victory over the Bryant University baseball team Tuesday at LeLacheur Park.

Sophomore Tyler Schoff (Lee Center, N.Y.) held the River Hawks to one run over the first 3 2/3 innings of the contest. Freshman Brian Nicolas (Langhorne, Pa.) and senior Nick Angelini (Bedford, N.H.) drove in the two Bulldog runs with singles in the fourth and eighth innings.

Game Information
UMass Lowell 3, Bryant 2
Records: Bryant (36-17), UMass Lowell (16-33)
Location: LeLacheur Park (Lowell, Mass.)
W|L|S: David Hoar (1-0) | Jack Ipsen (1-2) | Joshua Becker (5)

Key Moments

• Bryant loaded the bases to begin the game without the benefit of a hit, but UMass Lowell starter David Hoar struck out the next three Bulldogs to escape damage in the opening inning.
• Two-out hits in the fifth and sixth innings drove in River Hawk runs that proved to be the difference.

How it Happened

• A hit batsman, error and walk loaded the bases for Bryant to begin the contest, but the next three Bulldogs struck out to leave three stranded in the first inning.
• Schoff walked the leadoff man in the bottom of the frame but proceeded to pick him off, keeping the game scoreless through one.
• UMass Lowell tallied a one-out single in the second inning and moved a runner to third when a throw down on a stolen base attempt skipped into center field. The River Hawks would score the game's first run later in that at bat.
• Schoff worked out of a second and third, one-out jam in the third to keep it a one-run ballgame.
• Nicolas tied the game in the top of the fourth, plating sophomore Sam Owens (Scituate, R.I.) to even the game at one.
• The River Hawks got a man on in the fifth via an eight-pitch walk and retook the lead on a two-out double to the wall in center to move ahead 2-1.
• Freshman Jackson Harrigan (Acton, Mass.) struck out the first two batters he faced in the sixth, but a two-out, two-strike single turned into trouble due to a pair of wild pitches. Harrigan was again one pitch away from getting out of the inning unscathed, but a two-strike single found the grass behind shortstop to extend the River Hawk advantage to 3-1.
• A one-out double on the seventh pitch of the at bat to junior Chris Wright (Cumberland, R.I.) was followed by an RBI single from Angelini to bring the Bulldogs within 3-2 in the eighth. The River Hawks then induced a double play to escape further damage.
• Redshirt-senior Justin Snyder (Georgetown, Mass.) and sophomore Will Treuel (Wolfeboro, N.H.) combined to retire the side in order in the bottom of the frame with Snyder causing the leadoff man to ground out before Treuel entered to strike out the next two.
• The River Hawks closed out the game with a 1-2-3 ninth for their first victory over the Bulldogs in the programs' Division I eras.

Stats

• UMass Lowell outhit Bryant, 8-7.
• Bulldog pitchers struck out 10 River Hawks, with four from Schoff and two each from Harrigan, sophomore Matthew Stansky (Douglas, Mass.) and Treuel.
• Angelini was the lone Bulldog with two hits on the afternoon.
• The Bryant bullpen threw 43 of its 62 pitches for strikes (69.3%).

Notes and Notables

• Bryant drops to 4-1 vs. UMass Lowell since the programs moved up to Division I. UMass Lowell is 29-15 in the all-time series.
• Wright extended his on-base streak to 41 games with an eighth-inning single.
• Ward now has 83 hits on the season, the fifth-most in a single season in Bryant's Division I history and eighth in the all-time program record book.
• The loss snaps Bryant's 10-game road winning streak, which led the nation entering the week.
• The Bulldogs move to 7-8 in one-run games this year.
• Bryant falls to 4-1 on the year against the America East.

Up Next
Bryant plays its final regular-season Northeast Conference series in Bridgeport, Connecticut, when the Bulldogs face Sacred Heart at Veterans Memorial Park. The three-game set begins Thursday at 3 p.m.