Tuesday, April 24 vs. Maine (3 p.m.)
Live Stats | Watch Live
 
Thursday, April 26 at Holy Cross (5 p.m.)
Live Stats
 
Saturday, April 28 vs. Stony Brook (DH, 1 p.m.)
Live Stats | Watch Live
 
Sunday, April 29 vs. Stony Brook (12 p.m.)
Live Stats | Watch Live
 
Twitter: @RiverHawkSB @RiverHawkNation Tweet #UnitedInBlue
 
LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell softball team (15-22, 9-2 AE) has another busy week ahead with four important America East Conference games on the schedule. The River Hawks will first host Maine (18-18, 7-2 AE) in the rubber match of their three-game series on Tuesday, April 24 beginning at 3 p.m. The squad then makes the short trip to Holy Cross (11-26) for a non-conference at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 26 before welcoming Stony Brook (19-16, 7-4 AE) to River View Field for a weekend America East series on Saturday-Sunday, April 28-29.
 
CELEBRATING OUR SENIORS
UMass Lowell will honor five graduating seniors in a special pre-game ceremony on Sunday, April 29. Madison Alcorn (Lowell, Mass.), Vanessa Cooper (Pleasant Gap, Pa.), Colleen Frank (Berkeley Heights, N.J.), Samantha McQueen (Ewing, N.J.) and Kate Mims (West Chester, Pa.) will all be celebrated for their contributions to the program on Senior Day.

LAST TIME OUT
The River Hawks went 3-2 last week, dropping a doubleheader against Boston University on April 17 before sweeping a three-game series against Binghamton on April 21-22. Samantha McQueen paced the squad at the plate during the week with a .444 batting average, three runs scored and a .615 slugging percentage, while junior Kaysee Talcik (Shelton, Conn.) went 2-1 in the circle with 21 strikeouts.  
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 37 games, sophomore Courtney Cashman (Danvers, Mass.) leads the River Hawks with a .360 batting average, 40 hits, 25 runs scored, 11 doubles and a .541 slugging percentage. Classmate Marianne Sparacia (Spring Hill, Fla.) and freshman Sara Siteman (Hudson, N.H.) follow closely with .355 and .321 averages, respectively. Redshirt-sophomore Casey Harding (Cheshire, Conn.), who is batting .309 in 2018, boasts a team-high 18 RBI, and is tied with senior Madison Alcorn (Lowell, Mass.) for the team lead with four home runs. Lovina Capria (Deltona, Fla.) leads the pitching staff with a 10-4 record and a 2.53 ERA, while Kaysee Talcik is first with a career-best 92 strikeouts.
 
SEEING DOUBLE
As a team, the River Hawks lead the America East with 57 doubles in 2018. The squad logged a season-high five two-baggers in both the first and third games against Hartford on April 7 and 8, respectively. Individually, Courtney Cashman is first in the league with 11 doubles. Cashman posted a season-high two at both Sacred Heart (3.24) and UMBC (3.31).
 
PLAYING THE LONG GAME
The River Hawks, who already have 18 home runs as a team in 2018, put together a five game streak with at least one home run from March 31 to April 8. During the stretch, the team set a season high with two long balls on three occasions, including twice against Hartford. Madison Alcorn was responsible for three of the team's five homers in the Hartford series. Additionally, freshman Sarah Ratcliffe (Pelham, N.H.) went yard with her first career grand slam and the team's first of the season against Hartford on April 8.
 
SHUT.IT.OUT.
Lovina Capria registered her first career shutout, hurling a one-hitter to seal a 6-0 victory against Holy Cross on March 17. She then added a 9-0 shutout with just one hit at Quinnipiac on March 25 and a 1-0, extra-innings shutout at Maine for a team-high three blank sheets this season. Kaysee Talcik then recorded her first shutout of the year against Binghamton on April 21 when she allowed just two hits in the second game of a doubleheader.
 
K IS FOR KAYSEE
Kaysee Talcik is leading the America East with a career-high 92 strikeouts so far this season. The pitcher is ranked 49th in the nation for strikeout-to-walk ratio. She has matched a career high with nine K's on three occasions, including back-to-back outings against Binghamton.
 
GOING STREAKING
Courtney Cashman owns several of the team's longest streaks in 2018. She is currently in the midst of a 21 game stretch of reaching base safely. She also put together a 10 game hit streak from March 30 to April 17.
 
WALK IT OUT
Sara Siteman, who totals a league-best 19 walks, is ranked 76th in the nation in free passes.
 
EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!
The River Hawks picked up a win in their first extra-innings game of 2018 against Saint Louis on Feb. 24. The squad also earned a 3-1 win in eight innings at Sacred Heart on March 24 and a 4-2 win in eight innings at UMBC on March 31. UMass Lowell is now 4-0 in extras this season with a 1-0 victory in eight at Maine on April 11. The team has a history of success in extras with a 10-4 record since 2016.
 
AROUND THE LEAGUE
UMass Lowell is currently leading the America East with 9-2 record in conference play. As a team, UMass Lowell is first in the league with 255 hits and 372 total bases. Individually, Courtney Cashman is pacing the conference with 25 runs.
 
WEEKLY AWARDS
Lovina Capria picked up her third Pitcher of the Week nod this year on April 17 following a 1-0 week, and nine and two-thirds innings of scoreless work. Courtney Cashman turned in a .727 batting average and a 1.182 slugging percentage and Sara Ratcliffe logged seven RBI with a walk-off grand slam to earn America East Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week, respectively, following the Hartford series on April 10. Sara Siteman and Capria were tabbed with weekly awards on March 27, as Siteman batted .833 (5-6) with a 1.500 slugging percentage to garner her third straight Rookie of the Week and Capria went 2-0 with her second shutout of the year to earn Pitcher of the Week honors. The River Hawks also swept the America East Weekly Awards on March 20, as Courtney Cashman was named Player of the Week, Siteman was named Rookie of the Week and Capria was tabbed Pitcher of the Week. Siteman was also named America East Rookie of the Week on March 13, having led the team with a .444 on-base percentage with two hits and two walks at the Mississippi State Tournament. Casey Harding received her first ever AE Player of the Week nod on Feb. 27 after boasting an impressive 1.221 OPS that included a .750 slugging percentage and a .471 on-base percentage at the LA Tech Invitational. Kaysee Talcik earned the first America East Pitcher of the Week award of the 2018 season for her performance in four appearances at the Pediatric Cancer Invitational from Feb. 16-18. She led the pitching staff with a 3.00 ERA in 14 innings, totaling 15 strikeouts.
 
NOTABLES
Kaysee Talcik struck out nine batters in back-to-back games against Binghamton (4.21, 4.22) … junior Sydney Barker (Upland, Calif.) junior Marisa Carrasco (Peoria, Ariz.) logged her first home run of the year against Army (4.14) … freshman Katelyn Ellard (Cary, N.C.) earned her first career win in the circle against Hartford (4.8) … Sara Ratcliffe jacked her first career grand slam against Hartford (4.8) … Madison Alcorn posted a single-game, personal-best two home runs against Hartford (4.7) … Lovina Capria fanned a season-high 11 batters against Hartford (4.7) … Ratcliffe notched her first career home run to plate the game-winning run in a 4-2, extra-innings win at UMBC (3.31) … Ratcliffe drew a season-high four walks at Sacred Heart (3.24) … Courtney Cashman registered two doubles at Sacred Heart (3.24) … Sara Siteman logged three hits, three RBI and two doubles vs. Seton Hall (3.16) … freshman Olivia Labbe (Rochester, Mass.) recorded three hits against South Dakota (2.25) … Casey Harding matched a career high with three RBI against Alcorn State (2.23) … Kaysee Talcik posted a season-best nine strikeouts against No. 10 Tennessee (2.16).