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LOWELL, Mass. – Freshman Vanessa Cooper (Pleasant Gap, Pa.) went 3-for-5 (.600) with two RBI to pace the UMass Lowell softball team (10-16) in a pair of losses against America East opponent UMBC (15-12) on Friday afternoon.

The River Hawks fell, 13-3, in game one before dropping a 5-1 decision in game two.
 
"I thought that UMBC had the momentum from the first inning of the doubleheader to the last," said Head Coach Danielle Henderson. "It just wasn't something that we were able to get back. UMBC hit well today, and although we were able to get runners on, we didn't capitalize. It was great to see Vanessa (Cooper) be able to put everything together today. She's just a freshman, so she's going to continue to grow, but that's the type of energy and attitude she has all the time."
 
Senior Ariana Darcy (Kingston, N.Y.) added to the offense with three hits (.429) and two runs, and sophomore Tori Alcorn (Lowell, Mass.) went 2-for-5 with one run. Junior Marielle Handley (Durham, Conn.) and sophomore Lauren Ramirez (Dracut, Mass.) split time in the circle in game one, while sophomore Erica Armenti (Shrewsbury, Mass.) turned in a complete-game effort in game two.
 
UMBC took an early, 1-0 advantage in game one on a two-out solo home run by Taylor Hall in the top of the first. In the River Hawks first chance of the day, Alcorn got on with a bunt single, but was stranded there.
 
A diving grab by Cooper helped hold the Retrievers scoreless in the second. The River Hawks' defense continued to impress, as Darcy made a leaping grab off the fence in the third, although the lead runner for the visitors was able to tag up and score on the play to extend their lead. Later in the inning, Kaelin Jackson sent a RBI single up the middle to make the score, 3-0.
 
UMass Lowell threatened in the bottom of the third when junior Brianna Martin (Metheun, Mass.) reached second on an error and advanced to third on a groundout, but UMBC was able to extinguish the opportunity. The Retrievers added three runs on three hits in the fourth before reliever Lauren Ramierez came on to close out the inning.
 
The River Hawks got on the board in the home half of the fourth. Darcy started things off with a one-out single up the middle before stealing second, advancing on an errant throw, and scoring on a sacrifice fly by Cooper to make the score 6-1.
 
In the top of the fifth, UMBC took an 8-1 edge with a two-run single by Carly Lesko. The visitors then scored once in the sixth, but after junior Alyssa Zinkiewicz (Massapequa, N.Y.) and Darcy logged hits in their next trip to the dish, the River Hawks were able to plate two runs on a UMBC miscue and a RBI single by sophomore Alisha Welch (Langley, British Columbia). However, the Retrievers posted two final runs in the seventh en route to the 13-3 decision.
 
Game two started with a leadoff homerun by Tori Alexander for UMBC. Similarly to game one, UMass Lowell's defense came alive in the second when senior Abby Jamieson (Billerica, Mass.) picked off UMBC's Emily Neal after she took a wide turn around first. In the same at-bat, Alcorn showed range to her right and threw to Cooper, who recorded the putout with a full stretch off the bag at first. Cooper carried the momentum into the bottom of the inning, driving a two-bagger to right field.
 
Armenti and her defense retired the UMBC side in order in the third, but the Retrievers did pull away, 5-0, in the fourth thanks to an error and a three-run home run by Alexander. In the River Hawks' next at-bat, junior Emilia Davies (Parker, Colo.) kept the inning alive with a two-out double and Cooper followed with a bloop single, although neither runner would go on to score.
 
Alcorn and Darcy strung together back-to-back singles in sixth, allowing Cooper to send a RBI single through the right side, but it was not enough to overcome the 5-1 outcome.
 
The River Hawks and Retrievers will square off in the series finale tomorrow, April 4, beginning at 12 p.m.