Box Score (PDF)

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Senior Melissa King (Stamford, Conn.) tallied four RBI, as the UMass Lowell softball team (15-23, 4-7) defeated America East Conference opponent Hartford (2-34, 0-11) on Sunday morning to complete the three-game series sweep.
 
The River Hawks' performance this weekend marked their first conference series sweep since joining the America East in 2014. Senior Abby Jamieson (Billerica, Mass.) added to the offensive effort with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate. Junior Emilia Davies (Parker, Colo.) logged two hits on the day, as well. Junior Marielle Handley (Durham, Conn.) went the distance in the circle to pick up her second victory this weekend.
 
"I think it's really hard to sweep a team, so credit to our girls because they showed up and played every single game," said Head Coach Danielle Henderson. "It's easy to sit back on your heels after playing well the day before, but we didn't do that. We came out to play and I'm proud of them for that."
 
The River Hawks threatened in their first trip to the dish with hits from senior Ariana Darcy (Kingston, N.Y.) and Jamieson, but both runners were left stranded. Hartford also left one on in the first, and although Davies logged a blooper to shallow left in UMass Lowell's next at-bat, the scoreless stalemate continued through two complete innings.
 
UMass Lowell would get on the board in the top of the third, as Darcy drew a walk and scored on a two-out triple by Jamieson. The home squad was able to erase the difference in the same inning, however, using a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to knot the score at 1-1.
 
Davies connected for her second hit of the day, a double to the fence in center field, in the top of the fourth. King followed with a RBI single down the left field line before junior Brianna Martin (Methuen, Mass.) plated a run on a two-bagger to left center. The River Hawks added two more runs in the inning with RBI from senior Ally Greene (Tewksbury, Mass.) and Darcy to pull away, 5-1.
 
Hartford made noise in the fifth, loading the bases with two outs, but Darcy reeled in a fly ball in center to extinguish the opportunity and keep the visitors' four-run buffer intact.
 
Neither side was able to change the score in the sixth, as junior Alyssa Zinkiewicz (Massapequa, N.Y.) represented the lone hit for UMass Lowell. In the seven, Jamieson picked up an infield single before sophomore Alisha Welch (Langley, British Columbia) and Davies walked to load the bases for King, who drove a three-run double to left center, giving the River Hawks an 8-1 margin. Hartford got one run back in the home half of the seventh, but it was not enough to overcome the 8-2 decision.
 
The River Hawks will return home to host Boston College of the Atlantic Coast Conference in a single game tomorrow, Monday, April 20, beginning at 1 p.m. at River View Field.