FAU Box Score (PDF) | MARSHAL Box Score (PDF)

CLEARWATER, Fla. – The UMass Lowell softball team dropped a pair of decisions on Day Two of the Pediatric Cancer Invitational in Clearwater on Saturday.
 
The River Hawks were clipped, 4-0, by Florida Atlantic in game one before facing a 4-2 loss against Marshall in game two.

"Today was a little tough," said Head Coach Danielle Henderson. "We came out tight in the first game and weren't able to recover."
 
Senior Samantha McQueen (Ewing, N.J.) went 2-for-5 at the plate in a pair of starts. Five other River Hawks each logged one hit on the day, including sophomore Marianne Sparacia (Spring Hill, Fla.), who added two walks, as well. Freshman Lovina Capria (Deltona, Fla.) and junior Kaysee Talcik (Shelton, Conn.) went the distance in the circle in game one and two, respectively, with Capria totaling six strikeouts in her first collegiate start.
 
The Owls jumped in front, 1-0, in the top of the second in game one on a RBI single to center field. The River Hawks threatened to respond in their next at-bat, as Sara Siteman (Hudson, N.H.) got in scoring position with a two-bagger, but she was stranded there.
 
Florida Atlantic made the score 2-0 in the third with a sacrifice fly to deep right. UMass Lowell put two runners on in the home half of the inning, although the squad would not capitalize. The teams combined for just three more base runners until the seventh inning when FAU extended its margin to 4-0.
 
Redshirt-sophomore Casey Harding (Cheshire, Conn.) opened the night game against Marshall with a walk, but the Thundering Herd was able to pull ahead, 1-0, in the bottom of the first. UMass Lowell put runners on the corners in the second thanks to a fielder's choice from sophomore Emily Stevenson (West Jefferson, Ohio) and a base hit by McQueen, but both were left there.
 
Marshall added one run in each of its next three at-bats to create a 4-0 buffer through five complete innings. In the top of the sixth, the River Hawks tallied their first run of the day when senior Vanessa Cooper (Pleasant Gap, Pa.) led off with a walk and pinch runner Colleen Frank (Berkeley Heights, N.J.) crossed the plate on a ground ball out by Stevenson.
 
UMass Lowell was not done, putting runners on second and third in the top of the seventh. Freshman Meghan Chojnowski (Templeton, Mass.) scored on a wild pitch to cut the difference in half, but the final score would stand at 4-2.
 
The River Hawks wrap up this weekend's tournament tomorrow, Sunday, February 18, with an 11:15 matchup against Oakland.