The University of Massachusetts baseball team lost to Quinnipiac, 17-6, in its home opener at Earl Lorden Field on March 31. UMass dropped to a record of 5-15 overall and 1-11 in the Mid-American Conference, while Quinnipiac improved to 12-14.
This game marked an early challenge for the Minutemen as they faced a strong offensive performance from Quinnipiac. The Bobcats established control with four runs in the first inning and continued building their lead through the third and fourth innings, reaching an advantage of 11-0 by the end of the fourth.
Ty Fox led UMass offensively, going three-for-five with his third home run of the season. He also contributed two runs and two runs batted in (RBI). Gavin O’Brien, Will Briggs, and Reece McCarthy each collected two hits; Briggs hit a double while McCarthy added two RBI. Anthony Tirado and Ryan Kolben also recorded one hit apiece for Massachusetts.
Quinnipiac extended its lead throughout the game with additional scoring bursts in later innings. In response, UMass got on the board in the sixth inning when Fox hit a leadoff home run over right field. The Minutemen rallied for four more runs in the seventh but could not close the gap as Quinnipiac continued to score.
Lorcan Lee took his first loss of the season for Massachusetts after allowing six runs on four hits over two innings pitched. Jacob Belecky earned his first win for Quinnipiac by pitching three shutout innings with four strikeouts.
Looking ahead, Massachusetts will host Northern Illinois for a three-game series beginning Thursday, April 2 through Saturday, April 4 at Earl Lorden Field.
