SAN FRANCISCO (Interstat) — The San Francisco Dons rallied from a four-run deficit with a four-run seventh inning and added insurance late to defeat the Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks 8-5 on Friday at Dante Benedetti Diamond at Max Ulrich Field.

The game turned decisively in the bottom of the seventh. Trailing 5-3, the Dons (7-5) loaded the bases with one out against River Hawks reliever DeMaro. Wyatt Davis then delivered a two-run single to right field, scoring Vasell and Eddison Esquivel to tie the game. After a strikeout, Tyler Harries laced another two-run single through the left side, plating Burke and Davis to give San Francisco its first lead at 7-5.

That outburst erased a strong start by Massachusetts-Lowell’s Alfred Mucciarone, who took a no-hitter into the fifth inning. Mucciarone ultimately worked six innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on just two hits while striking out seven. He left with a 5-3 lead, but the River Hawks bullpen could not hold it.

The Dons added a crucial run in the eighth without a hit. After a single and a hit batter loaded the bases, Burke was hit by a pitch from Jake LeFrancois to force in a run. Colin Ducie entered and induced an inning-ending double play to limit the damage.

San Francisco’s bullpen sealed the win with three perfect innings. Hunter Holzemer struck out one in a 1-2-3 eighth, and Nick Bacura worked a clean ninth, also striking out one, to close out the victory.

The River Hawks (1-6) built their early lead with a three-run sixth inning. With the score 3-1, Solorzano hit a two-run single to left field, scoring Burgos and Donahue. They added two more in the seventh on an RBI double by Burgos and a run-scoring groundout by Sean O’Leary, who finished with two RBIs.

San Francisco starter Gabriel Barrett earned the win despite allowing five runs on six hits over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out three. The Dons’ offense was paced by Esquivel, who went 4 for 5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Harries drove in two runs on a 3-for-4 day.

The loss extended a difficult start to the season for Massachusetts-Lowell, which has now dropped six of its first seven games. San Francisco improved to 7-5, surpassing the projection of Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 4-2 Dons victory.

The most important sequence of the game was the Dons’ four-run rally in the seventh inning. It completely shifted momentum, transforming a 5-3 deficit into a 7-5 lead by capitalizing on key hits with runners in scoring position against the River Hawks’ relief corps. That inning accounted for the game’s final lead change and provided the runs necessary to secure the win.

The two teams continue their four-game series on Saturday.