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WILMINGTON, N.C. – The UMass Lowell softball team (6-10) split a pair of decisions on day one of the 2017 UNCW Invitational in Wilmington on Friday.
 
The River Hawks faced a 4-0 setback against host UNCW in game one of the afternoon before rallying for a decisive, 14-2 victory against Georgetown in five innings in game two. As a team, UMass Lowell totaled an impressive 18 hits against Georgetown to set a new Division I program record.
 
"I didn't think we played defense as well as we could have in the first game against UNCW," said Head Coach Danielle Henderson. "I thought we gave them their runs. We bounced back the second game when our bats came alive and we took advantage of some Georgetown mistakes. We had the chance to get some different people in and our freshmen had an especially great day.
 
Three different River Hawks concluded Friday with four hits, as freshman Marianne Sparacia (Spring Hill, Fla.) led the way with a .667 average. Classmate Courtney Cashman (Danvers, Mass.), who tied a program record with two home runs against Georgetown and totaled five RBI, and senior Alisha Welch (Langeley, British Columbia), who legged out her second triple of the year, both went 4-for-7 (.571) on the day. Freshman Emily Stevenson (West Jefferson, Ohio) registered three RBI with her first career home run, as well.
 
Sophomore Kaysee Talcik (Shelton, Conn.) went the distance in the circle against UNCW with a pair of strikeouts, while senior Lauren Ramirez (Dracut, Mass.) and sophomore Sydney Wash (Suffolk, Va.) split time against Georgetown to combine for the win.
 
The pitchers for both UMass Lowell and UNCW controlled play early in game one, as Sparacia accounted for the lone hit for either side in the first two innings. The Seahawks threatened to break open the pitchers' duel in the third, putting a pair of runners in scoring position, but Talcik did not let up, forcing a fly out and a groundout to keep the game scoreless.
 
After the River Hawks' stranded two in the top of the fourth, the home squad ended the scoreless tie with two runs in its next trip to the dish, thanks to a RBI single and a sacrifice fly. Junior Kate Mims (West Chester, Pa.) and senior Tori Alcorn (Lowell, Mass.) each tallied a hit in the top of the fifth before the Seahawks used two hits and a defensive miscue to make the score 4-0 in the bottom of the inning.
 
Junior Vanessa Cooper (Pleasant Gap, Pa.) would drive a two-bagger through the left side in the sixth, but the River Hawks were unable to get on the board, as UNCW converted on a double play in each of the last two innings, sealing the 4-0 outcome.
 
UMass Lowell's offense did not waste any time in game two against Georgetown, rallying for four runs on four hits in the top of the first inning. The River Hawks kept the pressure on with four more runs in the second off a triple to right by Sparacia and Cashman's first career home run.
 
The Hoyas cut into the lead with a two-run long ball of their own in the home half of the second. Georgetown then made noise in the third until T. Alcorn fielded a two-out base hit and fired to sophomore Marisa Carrasco (Peoria, Ariz.) at the plate to end the at-bat with the team's six-run margin intact.
 
Sophomore Brianna West (Fairfield, Conn.) and Stevenson each registered a RBI in the fourth to extend the buffer to 10-2. UMass Lowell was not finished, however, plating another four runs in the top of the fifth when Cashman and Stevenson each went yard once again to secure the five-inning victory.  
 
The River Hawks will play two more games at the tournament tomorrow when they square off against UNCW once again at 12:30 p.m. and St. Bonaventure at 5:30 p.m.