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MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. – Senior Ariana Darcy (Kingston, N.Y.) went a team-best 3-5 (.600) at the plate, while junior Emilia Davies (Parker, Colo.) logged five RBI to help lead the UMass Lowell softball (6-6) team to a pair of wins on the first day of the EMU Medeira Beach Invitational.
 
The River Hawks defeated Texas State, 9-7, in eight innings before downing Columbia, 6-5.
 
"We got two great wins for our program today," said Head Coach Danielle Henderson. "Both games were very close and could have gone either way, but our team never let down."
 
Darcy slugged 1.200 percent on the day with three RBI, while Davies slugged 1.000. Davies and senior Ally Greene (Tewksbury, Mass.) totaled three hits apiece on the day, as well. Sophomore Erica Armenti (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and senior Courtney Lanfranchi (Burlington, Mass.) split time in the circle in game one, with Lanfranchi picking up the victory. Junior Marielle Handley (Durham, Conn.) then went the distance in the circle in game two with five strikeouts.
 
In game one, UMass Lowell got off to a strong start thanks to a grand slam by Davies in the top of the first. With one out in the inning, sophomore Tori Alcorn (Lowell, Mass.), senior Melissa King (Stamford, Conn.) and junior Alyssa Zinkiewicz (Massapequa, N.Y.) all reached on singles, and Davies sent a pitch over the center field wall.
 
The following inning, junior Brianna Martin (Methuen, Mass.) doubled home Greene to extend the lead to 5-0. Texas State countered in the bottom of the third with one run off of a RBI single. Greene connected on a RBI double in the top of the fourth for the 6-1 lead, but the Bobcats rallied to tie the game in the bottom half with five runs on five hits, sparked by a Kendall Wiley leadoff home run.
 
UMass Lowell regained the lead in the fifth inning when Mikayla Powlowsky (Hudson, N.H.) scored on a wild pitch. The Bobcats would send the game into extras thanks to a RBI double, but Lanfranchi shut the door. In the top of the eighth, Greene sent a single through the right side, scoring sophomore Alisha Welch (Langley, British Columbia), to make the score 8-7. Senior Abby Jamieson (Billerica, Mass.) later scored on a fielder's choice before the defense held the opponents in the bottom of the inning to seal the 9-7 outcome.
 
Later in the afternoon, Columbia got on the board in the home half of the first on a RBI hit down the left field line. UMass Lowell threatened in the second, loading the bases with a pair of walks and a fielder's choice, but all three runners were left stranded. The River Hawks did plate a run in their next at-bat, though, as King led off with a two-bagger and advanced to third on a passed ball before scoring on a bunt single by Davies, knotting the score at 1-1.
 
The Lions retaliated in the bottom of the inning, but after a scoreless fourth, UMass Lowell tallied one run in each of its next two chances. Darcy posted a RBI single to right field in the fifth, while Alcorn walked and scored on a Columbia miscue to give the visitors a 3-2 edge.
 
The River Hawks doubled their score in the seventh with a two-run home run by Darcy and a RBI double by Alcorn. In the team's final attempt, Columbia made noise with three runs on three hits, including a two-out, two-run homer, but Handley fanned the next batter to secure the 6-5 decision.
 
The River Hawks play two more games tomorrow, Saturday, February 21, at the tournament hosted by Eastern Michigan University. The squad will face off against the University of North Dakota at 1:30 p.m. before taking on Siena College at 4 p.m.