April 20, 2011
Box Score Game 1 | Box Score Game 2
In similar fashion to Monday's contests at Assumption, the UMass Lowell softball team picked up an early loss the the Bentley Falcons on Wednesday afternoon in Waltham before picking up a decisive, 11-1 conference win in the late game of the doubleheader.
With the split, the River Hawks currently stand at 22-18 on the year with an 8-10 mark in Northeast-10 play. Bentley now owns an 11-19 clip overall and 4-16 mark in conference action.
Despite leading 3-0 through three innings in the first game, the River Hawks allowed the Falcons to mount a steady comeback later in the game. Bentley scored four runs over the next two innings and were tied with the River Hawks at four apiece through the top of the seventh, but a two-out single by Bentley's Chelsea Tamuk lifted the Falcons to a 5-4 victory.
The River Hawk offense began with an RBI double by freshman Ali Ferraro (Kingston, N.Y.) in the second and was followed up by an RBI triple by senior Heather Ross (Waltham, Mass.) and one-run single by junior Elyssa Boris (Gardner, Mass.) in the third. They wrapped up their fourth run of the game with another double by Ferraro to score junior C Lindsi Panarelli (Shrewsbury, Mass.).
The loss went to senior P Rachel Schafler (Floral Park, N.Y.), who fell to 8-3 on the year, as she pitched the complete game, allowing five runs on seven hits. Just two were earned. Bentley's Tara Fogarty improved to 10-11 on the year with the win. She also threw a complete game.
UMass Lowell bounced back in a big way for the second tilt of the afternoon, highlighted by a six-run fifth inning and punctuated by a four-run seventh to complete an 11-1 victory in the late game.
Boris threw the complete game for the River Hawks, improving to 15-14, while Bentley's Deanna Rousseau picked up the loss after splitting pitching duties with Fogarty. Boris held the Falcons scoreless through six, allowing just five hits and one run on the day.
UMass Lowell started slowly in the game, making it a 1-0 game in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by junior Caelyn Ford (Dracut, Mass.). They waited two more innings to strike again.
In the fifth, junior Meagan Guy (Berlin, Conn.) singled with the bases loaded and no outs to tally the first run of the inning, while sophomore Krista MacKenzie (Ipswich, Mass.) was hit by a pitch to advance everyone on the still-loaded bases. A single by Ross to center field brought home another two and she eventually scored on a fielder's choice. The sixth run of the stanza was scored on an RBI-double from sophomore Katie Mazure (Burlington, Mass.).
The River Hawks paused for an inning before coming back with a four-run seventh inning. Panarelli blasted a three-run home run, her third of the year, to make it a 10-0 ballgame and the inning was not complete before Ferraro tripled and made it home on an error by the Falcons.
Bentley came back with a single run in the bottom of the seventh, but UMass Lowell and its explosive offense prevailed.
UMass Lowell now returns home for three straight doubleheaders, beginning Friday at 3 p.m. against Saint Rose. They will follow up with a pair of games against LeMoyne at noon on Saturday before closing their regular season home schedule with a rescheduled doubleheader against Saint Anselm on Monday at 3 p.m.
