The America East baseball tournament delivered a dramatic finish on Tuesday night in Vestal, New York, as UMass Lowell edged Bryant 7‑5 in an 11‑inning showdown that eliminated the Bulldogs from championship contention. The contest, played at the Bearcats Baseball Complex, featured a back‑and‑forth battle that was decided only after a clutch rally in the final frame.
Eleven Innings of Tension
UMass Lowell had built a 3‑0 lead through six and a half innings, but Bryant answered with three runs to knot the game. The score remained tied heading into the 11th, where the River Hawks struck for four unearned runs, highlighted by a two‑run double from Carlos Martinez and a two‑run home run from Nicholas Solarzano that pushed the lead to 7‑3.
Bryant’s hopes flickered in the bottom of the 11th as the tying runs reached scoring position, only to be snuffed out by a fly ball to right field that ended the season. Owen Birchard recorded the final out, sealing a 7‑5 victory for UMass Lowell and leaving the Bulldogs with a 27‑25 overall record.
Key contributors for the River Hawks included Carlos Martinez, who drove in three runs with two hits, and Nicholas Solarzano, who finished with four hits and three RBI. For Bryant, Casey Wensley and Cam Papetti each collected two hits, while Carlos Irizarry added two RBI and reached base in both of his plate appearances in his postseason debut.
The game also featured solid pitching performances, with Alfred Mucciarone allowing just three runs over seven innings for UMass Lowell, while Bryant’s relievers Cole Schiff, Sean Zaslaw, and Aidan Vining combined for 10 innings of work, though they surrendered five runs in the decisive 11th.
Looking Ahead
With the victory, UMass Lowell improves to 1‑2 against Bryant in the America East Tournament and moves forward with momentum as the River Hawks aim to defend their conference title. Bryant, now 13‑17 over its final 30 games, will look to rebuild around a core that includes Wensley, Irizarry, and a pitching staff that showed resilience despite the late collapse.