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CLERMONT, Fla. – Junior Alyssa Zinkiewicz (Massapequa, N.Y.) went 2-for-5 (.400) at the plate, as the UMass Lowell softball team faced a pair of setbacks on the final day of the Dot Richardson Invitational in Clermont.
 
The River Hawks fell, 8-0, in six innings to #13 Minnesota before losing, 2-0, against Liberty later in the afternoon.
 
"Our record does not show how well we played this weekend," said Head Coach Danielle Henderson. "We faced some good competition and it was a great learning experience for the team to use for the rest of the season."
 
Sophomore Erica Armenti (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and senior Courtney Lanfranchi (Burlington, Mass.) split time in the circle during the first game, while junior Marielle Handley (Durham, Conn.) went the distance in game two with six strikeouts.
 
In game one, the Golden Gophers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, loading the bases before Hannah Granger drew a RBI walk. Sophomore Tori Alcorn (Lowell, Mass.) doubled with one out in the home half of the inning and advanced to third on a groundout by junior Emilia Davies (Parker, Colo.), but was stranded there.
 
Minnesota used five hits in its next two at-bats to extend its margin to 4-0. Although Darcy earned a walk in the bottom of the second, the River Hawks went three-up and three-down in the third. In the fourth, Zinkiewicz connected on a base hit and senior Ariana Darcy (Kingston, N.Y.) reached on an error.
 
The Golden Gophers pulled away with a four-run rally in the top of the sixth thanks to four hits, including a three-run home run by Granger. Minnesota then held the River Hawks in the bottom of the inning to secure the 8-0, run-rule decision.
 
In game two against Liberty, the teams battled in a scoreless stalemate for much of the contest. UMass Lowell made noise in the top of the second, as Zinkiewicz reached on an error before Davies doubled down the left field line, putting runners on second and third.
 
Both sides were retired in order in the third and fourth. In the top of the fifth, Darcy singled, but the Flames broke the game open in the home half of the inning with a two-run home run.
 
In the River Hawks' next at-bat, Martin led off with a bunt. Alcorn put a ball in play next, and thanks to an error by the second baseman, both runners were safe. Zinkiewicz singled to load the bases, however, UMass Lowell was unable to chip away at the deficit, taking the 2-0 loss.
 
The River Hawks will play five games in the EMU Madeira Beach Invitational next weekend, Friday-Sunday, February 20-22.