Box Score 1 (PDF) | Box Score 2 (PDF)

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Freshman Sydney Barker (Upland, Calif.) batted .500 (3-6) to lead the UMass Lowell softball team (5-23) to a 1-1 record at Sacred Heart (8-17) in a doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon.
 
The River Hawks snapped a 12-game skid with a 2-0 victory in game one before falling, 3-1, in the nightcap.
 
"We played well in the first game," said Head Coach Danielle Henderson. "We let the pitcher strike us out a lot in the second game, so we didn't put the ball in play and couldn't do much."
 
Barker added one run and one RBI on the day. Junior Tori Alcorn (Lowell, Mass.) went 2-for-5 (.400) to add to the offense, while classmate Alisha Welch (Langley, British Columbia) finished the day with two hits and one RBI. Sophomore Kate Mims (West Chester, Pa.) chipped in with one RBI in the first game, as well. Freshman Kaysee Talcik (Shelton, Conn.) tied a season high with six strikeouts en route to her second complete-game shutout in game one. Junior Lauren Ramirez (Dracut, Mass.) went the distance in game two with four strikeouts.
 
T. Alcorn was the first base runner of game one, legging out a bunt single before stealing second and advancing to third on a wild pitch, but the Pioneers' defense would hold her there. The River Hawks did get on the board first, though, as Barker sent a high fly into deep right to get in scoring position for Mims, who lined a two-out RBI single to left, giving her squad the 1-0 advantage.
 
Talcik was strong in the circle for UMass Lowell, working her way out of tough spots in both the second and third innings with timely strikeouts that stranded a combined five SHU runners in the two at-bats. Neither side was able to make noise in the fourth, and the River Hawks left two on in the top of the fifth when junior pinch hitter Emily O'Brien (Salem, N.H.) singled to shortstop and T. Alcorn followed with a walk.
 
UMass Lowell was able to extend its margin to 2-0 in the sixth, as junior Taylor August (Howell, N.J.) drew a walk and Barker lined a RBI single to right to score freshman pinch runner Colleen Frank (Berkeley Heights, N.J.). The Pioneers threatened with consecutive hits in the bottom of the inning, but Talcik ended their at-bat on a strikeout for the fourth time in the contest. The River Hawks then retired the SHU side in order in the seventh to seal the 2-0 win.
 
In the first inning of game two, the River Hawks loaded the bases thanks to hits from T. Alcorn and Barker before senior Alyssa Zinkiewicz (Massapequa, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch, although the squad was unable to capitalize. Sacred Heart also missed an opportunity in its first trip to the dish, as Ramirez stranded two.
 
UMass Lowell used walks from freshman Marisa Carrasco (Peoria, Ariz.) and T. Alcorn and a RBI single to center by Welch to pull ahead, 1-0, in the second. However, the lead was short-lived, as the home squad plated two runs on three hits in the third to gain the upper hand.
 
The teams went three-up and three-down in the fourth, but the Pioneers made the score 3-1 in the fifth. SHU then held UMass Lowell in its final two at-bats, securing the decision for the home team.
 
The Pioneers now own a 29-7 advantage in the all-time series. The River Hawks return to action this weekend when they visit UAlbany for a three-game America East Conference series on Saturday-Sunday, April 2-3.