Box Score (PDF): Game 1 | Game 2

STANFORD, Calif. – The UMass Lowell softball team (5-7) turned in two hard-fought decisions on the first day of the Cardinal Classic, defeating UNLV (16-5), 1-0, in game one before succumbing to tournament host No. 22 Stanford (18-2), 7-6, in game two on Friday.
 
"We played well today in the first game," said Head Coach Danielle Henderson. "The second game was a battle, but we just had too many defensive mistakes."
 
Junior Melany Sheldon (Garbagnate, Milan, Italy) led the team at the plate, batting .500 with two hits and two RBI. Eight other River Hawks logged one hit apiece on the day, including junior Marianne Sparacia (Spring Hill, Fla.), who added two RBI of her own. Redshirt-junior Casey Harding (Cheshire, Conn.) registered a team-best two runs scored, as well.
 
In the circle, senior Kaysee Talcik (Shelton, Conn.) recorded her first shutout victory of the season against UNLV, while sophomore Lovina Capria (Deltona, Fla.) went the distance in game two to move to 3-4 on the year.
 
The River Hawks jumped out to an early, 1-0 lead against UNLV in the bottom of the first, when freshman Tori Mueller (Clovis, Calif.) led off with a base hit, advanced to second on a walk by Sparacia and scored on a RBI single through the right side by sophomore Maria Moccio (Feeding Hills, Mass.).
 
Talcik held the Rebels to just one hit in each of the next four innings in what turned into a defensive stalemate. Neither side was able to scratch a run across the rest of the way, combining for six runners left on, as UMass Lowell held on for the 1-0 shutout.
 
In the nightcap against Stanford, each side logged one baserunner in the first, including a single by Cashman, but the game remained scoreless through one complete. However, the River Hawks pulled ahead in the second thanks to a two-run shot to left field by Sheldon.
 
The Cardinal retaliated in the third, plating three unearned runs to take the lead. The home squad then added one run in each of the next two innings to extend the difference to 5-2.
 
The River Hawks battled back in the sixth with a RBI single by senior Sydney Barker (Upland, Calif.) and a sacrifice fly by classmate Brianna West (Fairfield, Conn.) to make it a one-run game. Later in the same at-bat, Sparacia stepped in with two outs and drove a hard-hit ball to right center, plating two and putting the visitors back ahead, 6-5. Stanford would regain the lead for good, though, in the home half of the inning with the help of a RBI triple to steal the 7-6 decision.
 
UMass Lowell plays two more games at the Cardinal Classic on Saturday, March 9 against Bucknell and Stanford.