Friday, March 10
vs. Robert Morris (9 a.m.) - Live Stats
vs. Northern Kentucky (1:30 p.m.) – Live Stats

Saturday, March 11
vs. Chattanooga (9 a.m.) – Live Stats
vs. North Carolina (11 a.m.) – Live Stats
 
Sunday, March 12
at Charleston (1:30 p.m.) – Live Stats | Watch Live
 
Twitter: @RiverHawkSB @RiverHawkNation Tweet #UnitedInBlue
 
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The UMass Lowell softball team (3-5) will kick off its 12-day spring break trip with five games at the Holy City Showdown in Charleston this weekend, March 10-12.
 
The River Hawks will open the weekend with games against Robert Morris (9 a.m.) and Northern Kentucky (1:30 p.m.) on Friday before squaring off against Chattanooga (9 a.m.) and North Carolina (11 a.m.), who received votes in the latest national polls, on Saturday. UMass Lowell then wraps up the weekend with a single game on Sunday against the tournament's host, College of Charleston, at 1:30 p.m.
 
RIVER HAWK REWIND
UMass Lowell owns a 3-5 overall record after taking part in two tournaments so far in 2017. Most recently, the team traveled to Auburn to participate in the Tiger Invitational, finishing 2-2 in those games from February 24-25. That weekend, the squad fell to a pair of nationally ranked opponents on day one in No. 13 James Madison (10-0) and No. 2 Auburn (13-0). However, the River Hawks bounced back on day two, defeating North Dakota, 10-2, and earning a 4-3 victory in eight innings against Yale. Freshman Marianne Sparacia (Spring Hill, N.J.) led the team at the plate over the weekend, batting .500 with five hits and three runs scored. Senior Tori Alcorn (Lowell, Mass.) registered a career-high four RBI in the win against North Dakota, while sophomore Sydney Barker (Upland, Calif.) ripped a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth against Yale for the walk-off. Sophomore Kaysee Talcik (Shelton, Conn.), who logged a personal-best eight strikeouts against UND, and senior Lauren Ramirez (Dracut, Conn.) each earned a victory in the circle.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through eight games this year, Marianne Sparacia leads the River Hawks, batting .400 (6-15) with four runs scored. Tori Alcorn boasts a team-best seven hits and seven RBI to add to the offense with a .304 average. Sydney Barker is first on the squad with two home runs, while junior Vanessa Cooper (Pleasant Gap, Pa.) owns a .500 slugging percentage and redshirt-freshman Casey Harding (Cheshire, Conn.) totals six walks. All three River Hawk pitchers have picked up one win, although Kaysee Talcik paces the staff with 15 strikeouts.
 
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Heading into this weekend, only UAlbany sits ahead of UMass Lowell, as the Great Danes lead the America East with an 8-3 overall record. As a team, the River Hawks are ranked first in the conference with five home runs. The squad is also second overall for several categories, including doubles (9) and total bases (66). UMass Lowell sits third with 23 runs scored and 40 hits, as well. Individually, Sydney Barker leads the America East with two home runs and Tori Alcorn is second in the league with seven hits. In the circle, Kaysee Talcik (15) and Lauren Ramirez (14) are second and third, respectively, in the conference for strikeouts.
 
RECEIVING RECOGNITION
Kaysee Talcik earned her second career America East Pitcher of the Week nod and her first of the new season on Feb. 28, following her complete-game win against North Dakota in which she recorded a personal-best eight strikeouts.
 
EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!
The River Hawks have already played two extra innings game in 2017 and have won both of those contests. The squad first picked up an 8-6 victory at North Texas on Feb. 11 in eight innings before walking off in the eighth, 4-3, against Yale on Feb. 25.
 
DOUBLING UP
The River Hawks logged a season-best four doubles in an extra-innings win at North Texas on Feb. 11. Tori Alcorn, Marianne Sparacia, Vanessa Cooper and Casey Harding each registered a two-bagger in that contest.
 
NOTABLES
Kaysee Talcik registered a career-high eight strikeouts against North Dakota (2.25) … Tori Alcorn totaled a personal-best four RBI in the win vs. UND … Lauren Ramirez forced a season-best six strikeouts at North Texas (2.11) and against Arkansas (2.12) … Casey Harding logged her first career home run at North Texas (2.11).
 
MAKING AN IMPACT
The UMass Lowell softball team was officially matched with a new Team IMPACT teammate, Emma Crapo, during a special Draft Day event on March 3. Team IMPACT is a Boston-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children facing chronic illnesses.