PDF Box Scores: Illinois | MSU 1 | MSU 2

STARKVILLE, Miss. – The UMass Lowell softball team dropped its decisions on the final day of the Mississippi State Tournament.
 
The River Hawks first faced a hard-fought, 4-3 setback against Illinois before falling to host Mississippi State, 9-1, in six innings and 11-0 in five innings.
 
"I didn't think we came out and played very well yesterday, but today we came out better," said Head Coach Danielle Henderson. "The game against Illinois was very close. Mississippi State hit the ball well today and that was tough to keep up with. I think now with one tournament left before conference play, this level of competition has prepared us for all of that."
 
Sophomore Marianne Sparacia (Spring Hill, Fla.) led the River Hawks with a .500 average (3-6) on the day, while redshirt-sophomore Casey Harding (Cheshire, Conn.) went 4-for-9 with two RBI (.444) to add to the offense.
 
The Fighting Illini plated the first run of the day in the top of the first inning of game one on a sacrifice fly, but the River Hawks were quick to answer when Harding led off with blast over the wall in left, knotting the score at 1-1.
 
Both squads left one runner stranded in each of their next two at-bats, including senior Madison Alcorn (Lowell, Mass.), who got on with a base hit to the opposite field in the second and sophomore Courtney Cashman (Danvers, Mass.), who legged out an infield single in the third.
 
Following a 5-4-6 River Hawk double play to start the fourth, Illinois was able to pull in front, 2-1, on a RBI double. However, the lead was short-lived, as UMass Lowell put together a two-out rally in the home half of the inning to take its first lead of the day. Alcorn doubled to get things started before advancing on a groundout and scoring on a miscue to tie the game once again. Freshman Sara Ratcliffe (Pelham, N.H.) and Sparacia then logged back-to-back singles to bring up Harding, who came just inches away from her second homer, but was still awarded a ground-rule double that put her squad on top, 3-2.
 
Illinois erased the difference in the fifth thanks to another sacrifice fly, and although both teams went three-up and three-down in the sixth, the Fighting Illini used a groundout to score the go-ahead and game-winning run in the top of the seventh to help seal the 4-3 outcome.  
 
The River Hawks resumed their suspended game against Mississippi State next, restarting the contest from last night in the top of the third, trailing the Bulldogs, 5-0, with one runner on base. Cashman doubled to left field in that inning before Sparacia scored on a throwing error to put the visitors on the board.
 
MSU used a two-run triple and a shot to shallow center to extend its lead to 8-1 in the bottom of the third. The teams combined for seven runners left on base in the next two innings before a single to left field by Carter Spexarth gave the Bulldogs the 9-1 decision in six innings.
 
In the final game of the weekend, Mississippi State jumped out to a 4-0 edge on six hits in the first inning. The home team then made the score 6-0 in the second with a two-run home run by Mia Davidson.
 
Sparacia and Harding registered hits for UMass Lowell in the third, but the Bulldogs pulled away with five runs in the fourth to earn the 11-0 victory.
 
The River Hawks will wrap up tournament play with five games at Fordham on March 16-17.