After falling victim to suspect pitching in a weekend sweep at the hands of Atlantic 10 rival Fordham, the Massachusetts baseball team suffered through the exact opposite yesterday afternoon against Quinnipiac University.
After collecting 21 hits in three games over the weekend, the Minutemen (13-16 5-7 A-10) saw their bats go cold as they mustered just a pair of infield singles in falling 7-3 to the Bobcats in a non-conference contest at Earl Lorden Field.
UMass returns to action Thursday afternoon, when Bay State rival Boston College visits Earl Lorden Field for a non-conference matchup. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Quinnipiac (22-14) used a five-run top of the fourth to erase a 3-0 deficit and never looked back, tacking on single runs in the eighth and ninth for the victory.
“Nothing went right for us today,” UMass coach Mike Stone said. “It’s not that we’re making errors, there are just plays out there to be made that we’re not making, and it’s hurting us.
“I don’t know if there’s a hangover [from the weekend], but we just need to start playing better baseball and doing more good things on the field and at the plate.”
Righthanded starter Chris Gresh went the distance for Quinnipiac and was charged with one earned run in earning his first victory of the season. He allowed just a bunt single and an infield roller while striking out four and walking three in throwing 107 pitches.
Freshman righthander Devin Barnett was the starter and loser for the Maroon and White after he coughed up five earned runs on five hits and five walks in four innings to fall to 2-2 on the season.
Junior righthander Anthony Gallo was strong out of the bullpen for UMass, working four innings and allowing just one run on six hits with one strikeout. Sophomore righthander Jason Hickey worked the ninth in relief of Gallo, allowing a run on one hit and one walk.
“Barnett’s a control pitcher for us, and he just didn’t have that control today,” Stone said. “I thought Gallo did a nice job out of the bullpen and gave us a chance to hang in the game, but we just couldn’t get anything going with the bats.”
UMass posted a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, as junior rightfielder Jason Twomley walked, senior tri-captain Athas reached on an infield single and both scored on an error by Gresh.
The Minutemen added to their advantage in the third inning when senior tri-captain Matt Reynolds plated Athas, who had been hit by a pitch, with a sacrifice fly to right field.
The Bobcats then answered back in the top of fourth inning, using a trio of hits to grab their first lead of the afternoon. Third baseman Brian Sabatella and centerfielder Tim Binkoski delivered a pair of big blows in the inning, sandwiching two-out, two-run doubles around a hit batsmen to give Quinnipiac a 5-3 edge.
From there the game belonged to Gresh, who retired 20 consecutive Minutemen at one point and did not allow a hit over the final six frames.
“I said to the team, I can’t believe that guy lasted all nine innings against us,” Stone said. “We just didn’t hit like we were capable of, and he stayed around the plate and in control.
Senior infielder Cullan Maumus, who broke his arm earlier in the season at George Washington and was feared to be out for the remainder of the year, played most of the afternoon at first base before moving to second for the final two innings. He also collected one of UMass’ two hits with an infield single in the third.
The loss was the Maroon and White’s sixth in a row, marking the program’s longest losing streak since enduring a nine-game skid in March of 2002. It was also the Minutemen’s first home loss to a non-conference opponent since April 15.
