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The UMass Lowell softball team displayed its ability to win in a variety of ways in their home opener on Sunday, claiming 3-0 and 7-6 victories for a sweep over Holy Cross at River View Field.
 
In the opener, River Hawks (7-18, 0-2 America East) sophomore Marielle Handley (Durham, Conn.) came out victorious in a classic pitchers duel, dominating the Crusaders (5-14, 3-3 Patriot) for a two-hit complete game shutout.  Conversely, the late game featured 24 hits between the teams as the River Hawks rallied from six down to walk off on a two out wild pitch that scored Ali Ferraro (Kingston, N.Y.).
 
"To win two in a row for the first time all year, and to do that on our home field on our official opening day is incredible," said Head Coach Sean Cotter.
 
It looked like the teams would split the games when Alyssa Zinkiewicz (Massapequa, N.Y.) hit a two-out ground ball to Crusader first baseman Colleen Ahearn with two runners on base. Ahearn could do nothing but watch as the ball went through her legs into right field, advancing Ferraro to third and bringing home Kathryn Donovan (Hudson, N.H.) to tie the game at six.
 
Ferraro scored the winning run moments later on a play at the plate following a wild pitch by Tori Cheske.
 
Handley (3-8) showed the dominance that won her 20 games a season ago, putting down 22 of the 24 batters she faced.
 
"We're just trying to find that consistency piece with her, because when she's good, she's real good and that's not a surprise for a kid who won 20 games for us last year," said Cotter. "She pounded the strike zone and kept them off balance with a lot of first pitch strikes, and obviously the defense played well behind her."
 
Juniors Abby Jamieson (Billerica, Mass.) and Ariana Darcy (Kingston, N.Y.), who bat second and third, led the River Hawks offensively with Darcy recording a pair of triples, and was pushed in by Jamieson in the next at-bat.
 
After a six run second inning, the River Hawks began to mount their rally, starting with Donovan's first career homerun, a 2-run shot in the bottom of the second that scored Emily O'Brien (Salem, N.H.).
 
Darcy stayed locked in at the plate during the second game, hitting a 2-run homerun to right field to cut the deficit to 6-4 in the third.
 
The teams will meet again when the River Hawks travel to Worcester for a doubleheader on April 29th.
 
UMass Lowell who won three of four this weekend will be back in action on Thursday when they travel to New Britian, Conn. to face Central Connecticut State in two games.