The Massachusetts baseball team just missed out on a late-game victory, extending its losing streak to five.
Albany played cleaner baseball defensively, throwing out key baserunners like the Minutemen’s (5-11, 1-8 Mid-American) Anthony Tirado.
The shortstop wore a pitch in the ninth inning just after freshman teammate Dean Gobeil homered, bringing UMass within a run of tying the game. This free base marked Tirado’s first time on base all day, at the perfect time for the Minutemen.
The speedy one-hitter has double the stolen bases of his teammate with the next most in that statistic. If Tirado stole second, freshman phenom Ty Fox would have a chance to even the score. His team-leading 15 RBIs make him the most likely player to get Tirado home, and yet the shortstop slid into second base a hair too late, ending UMass’ comeback run just a little short again.
The Great Danes’ (4-14, 2-1 America East) only runs came from their redshirt freshman outfielder and his second-inning grand slam. Jaxon Mueller responded right away to the Minutemen’s offensive strike in the top of the inning. UMass pitcher Jack Levine started the inning ahead by a run and walked into the dugout down three.
Albany responded again in the third. Fox drove in a run to make it a 4-2 ballgame, but the Great Danes’ pitching staff slammed the door from there. Starter Mark Gajowski worked through the Minutemen lineup efficiently, throwing 61 pitches over his outing before handing things off to Brian Cadieux, who kept UMass quiet through the middle innings.
Levine took the loss, throwing all the way through the first inning before Albany’s bats tarnished his day. He was tagged for four runs on four hits, finishing with a 2-to-3 strike-to-ball ratio. Lorcan Lee inherited the mess and did his best to stabilize things, going the bulk of the game and striking out four. But the deficit proved too steep to overcome.
The Minutemen finished the afternoon with eight hits but left seven runners on base, a theme that has haunted this road trip.
UMass went 3-for-15 with runners on, a quiet afternoon for a lineup that has offensive pop throughout. Ryan Kolben knocked in a run, Fox added another, and Gobeil’s ninth-inning shot gave the Minutemen life — but the Great Danes’ pitching held firm when it mattered most.
Redshirt freshman Fox and freshman Gobeil stand out as bright spots in a UMass offense that struggles to get runs across. Between those two and redshirt sophomore Will Briggs, the three have a combined four homers and seven RBIs in their last 3 games played.
Albany’s Mueller was the first-year story on the other side. The redshirt freshman finished 3-for-1 with four RBIs — all coming on his grand slam — and also turned a key double play that helped preserve the win. The Great Danes were efficient all afternoon, leaving just one runner on base and committing zero errors compared to the Minutemen’s clean but ineffective day at the plate.
Jameson Walsh closed things out for Albany in the ninth, recording the save after Cadieux got the win. Walsh threw just 19 pitches and didn’t allow the tying run to reach the plate, stranding Tirado at second to seal the 4-3 final.
UMass now heads to Kalamazoo, Mich., March 27-29 for a three-game set against Western Michigan before returning to Amherst. The Minutemen’s losing streak sits at five, and the road trips continue to grind. Between UMass’ hitters and pitchers, it has plenty of talent to win; it just depends on its execution.
Matt Ford-Wellman can be reached at [email protected] or followed on X @MattFW_4.
