Lowell, Mass. – UMBC baseball rallied from a 6-2 deficit, scoring seven unanswered runs to knock off UMass Lowell, 9-6, in ten innings at LaLacheur Park.
Freshman outfielder
Jayden Shertel collected a season high four hits and scored three runs, while graduate student second baseman
Myles Nicholson went 3-for-5 with three runs driven in and two scored. Junior catcher
Tony Krueger also picked up three hits.
UMBC senior reliever
Shane Gorman retired all nine River Hawks he faced in the eighth, ninth and tenth innings to earn the victory.
The Retrievers (13-17, 5-7 America East) snapped a five-game slide and salvaged the final game of the series. UMBC lost the first two games by a single run.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Nicholson got UMBC off to a bright start, as he tripled to right center field on the second pitch of the game. One out later, Ian Diaz drove in Nicholson with an RBI groundout.
- UML would tie the score at 1-all in the second inning, but UMBC snuck in front at 2-1 with a run in the fourth. With two outs, Shertel doubled down the left field line and Nicholson plated the freshman with a single up the middle.
- The River Hawks countered with two runs in the fourth and three in the fifth to take command with a 6-2 advantage.
- But the Retrievers tied the game, scoring three of four runs with two outs in the eighth. UMBC pushed across one run without the benefit of a hit, then Shertel then singled through the right side to score pinch runner Christian Easley to cut the deficit to 6-4. On a two-strike pitch, Nicholson drove a double to the left-center field gap to score a pair of runs.
- Tony Krueger and Luke Johnson singled to open the top of the ninth, but did not advance as the next three Retrievers were retired.
- With a single and a hit-by-pitch, Shertel and Nicholson got things going to start the tenth inning. Shertel scored the go-ahead run when UML's third baseman threw away Drew Roberts' outstanding sacrifice bunt. A Diaz sacrifice fly plated Nicholson and a sharp single to center by Krueger plated Roberts.
UMBC has a pair of non-conference home games this week, starting with a Tuesday evening (6:00 p.m.) contest versus Georgetown.
