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

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – Junior Taylor August (Howell, N.J.) batted .667 (4-6) to pace the UMass Lowell softball team (8-34) in a split at Central Connecticut State (14-18-1) on Tuesday afternoon.
 
The River Hawks held on to take a 3-2 victory in game one before falling, 8-3, in game two.
 
"We played well all day," said Head Coach Danielle Henderson. "We had some good at-bats in the first game and were able to draw a lot of walks from the pitcher. In the second game, we weren't as selective and I thought their pitcher got a little stronger. Overall, we made pretty good contact, played well on defense and did well in the circle."
 
Sophomore Vanessa Cooper (Pleasant Gap, Pa.) and junior Alyssa Hasbrouck (Middletown, N.Y.) each went 2-for-4 on the day to add to the offense. Cooper logged a team-high two RBI, as well. Freshman Kaysee Talcik (Shelton, Conn.) went the distance in game one to earn the win. Classmate Sydney Wash (Suffolk, Va.) threw the first 5.2 innings of game two to take the decision, while junior Lauren Ramirez (Dracut, Mass.) was called in to finish the contest.  
 
The early innings of game one turned into a scoreless pitchers' duel. The River Hawks were retired in order in their first at-bat, but August tallied the squad's first hit of the afternoon in the top of the second with a hard shot off the wall in right field. Each side logged one hit in the third, including a single down the right field line by sophomore Kate Mims (West Chester, Pa.).
 
The River Hawks broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fourth, taking a slight, 1-0 edge. The squad was able to load the bases with hits from freshman Sydney Barker (Upland, Calif.) and August, and a walk from Hasbrouck, before Cooper stepped in and drove a sacrifice fly deep into the outfield to plate Barker.
 
In the top of the fifth, T. Alcorn doubled to straight-away center and advanced to third on a flyout by junior Alisha Welch (Langley, British Columbia), although she would be left there. CCSU erased the difference in the home half of the inning thanks to a RBI infield single from Evie Rentzel that knotted the score at 1-1.
 
UMass Lowell threatened in the sixth, using walks from August, Cooper and Mims to load the bases, but the team was unable to capitalize. The visitors did, however, pull ahead in the top of the seventh when sophomore Samantha McQueen (Ewing, N.J.) and Hasbrouck drew RBI walks to make the score 3-1. The Blue Devils got one run back in their final trip to the dish, but the River Hawks held on to take the 3-2 win.
 
Central Connecticut jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of game two with the help of three hits. UMass Lowell chipped away in the second, as freshman Marisa Carrasco (Peoria, Ariz.) forced a walk with the bases loaded to cut the difference to two.
 
The home team regained a three-run margin at 4-1 in the third on a RBI groundout from Alexis Debrosse. Cooper extended the top of the fourth with a two-out base hit through the left side, but she was left there. Wash made quick work of the Blue Devils' offense in their next two chances, retiring the CCSU side in the fourth and fifth innings.
 
The River Hawks carried the momentum to the top of the sixth, putting together four straight hits, including a RBI single from Cooper to pull within two at 4-2. However, the home team plated four more runs in the bottom of the inning, giving Central Connecticut an 8-2 advantage. UMass Lowell made noise in the seventh with hits from T. Alcorn and Welch, and a sacrifice fly from Barker, but CCSU sealed the 8-3 outcome.
 
The Blue Devils still lead the all-time series against UMass Lowell, 11-3. The River Hawks return to action on Thursday, April 21 when they host Boston University in a single game beginning at 4 p.m.