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LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Marielle Handley (Durham, Conn.) and freshman Kaysee Talcik (Shelton, Conn.) combined to allow just five hits to lead the UMass Lowell softball team (10-36, 2-13 AE) to a 1-0 shutout victory against Hartford (6-35, 2-9 AE) on Senior Day at River View Field.
 
With the win, the River Hawks took two of three from Hartford for their first America East series win in 2016. The team honored its three seniors, Handley, first baseman Alyssa Zinkiewicz (Massapequa, N.Y.) and third baseman Taylor August (Howell, N.J.), with a special pre-game ceremony.
 
"I feel like even though we've struggled in the seventh this year, we were very confident in the last inning today," said Head Coach Danielle Henderson. "We were able to shut the door, get it done and send our seniors off with a win."
 
Sophomore Vanessa Cooper (Pleasant Gap, Pa.) paced the River Hawks at the plate with two hits, while classmate Samantha McQueen (Ewing, N.J.) picked up the lone RBI.
 
The Hawks went to work in the top of the first, putting runners on the corners with no outs, but Handley and the River Hawk defense responded with three straight outs. UMass Lowell also advanced a runner all the way to third in their first at-bat in the form of junior Tori Alcorn (Lowell, Mass.), who had reached on a walk, although the game remained scoreless through one complete.
 
Both sides combined for three baserunners in the second, including McQueen, who had reached on a fielding miscue by the visitors. Talcik came on in relief in the top of the third and quickly sat down the first six batters she faced, allowing the River Hawks to plate the first run of the day in the bottom of the fourth. Cooper gave the squad momentum with a lead-off double down the left field line before sophomore pinch runner Colleen Frank (Berkeley Heights, N.J.) moved to third on a groundout by Zinkiewicz and scored on ball put into play by McQueen, giving the home team the 1-0 edge.
 
Junior Alisha Welch (Langley, British Columbia) turned a nice double play to bring UMass Lowell back up in the home half of the fifth. Sophomore Madison Alcorn (Lowell, Mass.) and T. Alcorn started things off with back-to-back base hits, but the visitors closed the inning with a double play of their own to keep the difference at just one run.
 
The River Hawks and Hawks each registered one hit in the sixth, as Cooper did it again for UMass Lowell with a shot to left. Hartford put the tying run on base in the seventh, but the defense closed it out to secure the 1-0 win.
 
UMass Lowell now leads the all-time series against Hartford, 7-2. The River Hawks play next at Bryant on Wednesday, April 27 beginning at 4 p.m.