Box Score (PDF)

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The No. 1 ranked UMass Lowell softball team (27-19) was handed a 5-0 loss by No. 4 UMBC (28-22) in the squad's first game of the 2019 America East Championship on Thursday afternoon.
 
Because of the double-elimination style tournament, the River Hawks will now move on to play an elimination game tomorrow, Friday, May 10 at 1:30 p.m. The team, who will not know its opponent until later today, will play the winner of the Binghamton vs. UAlbany/Stony Brook game set for 4 p.m. today.
 
"I thought we came out like we had everything to lose and UMBC came out with no fear," said Head Coach Danielle Henderson. "We needed to make our adjustments a little bit sooner, but instead we kept swinging too hard and that helped fuel (Courtney) Coppersmith. Her rise is always tough and we chased some pitches that we shouldn't have."
 
The pitchers for both sides combined to leave five runners stranded through the first three innings, keeping the game scoreless until the top of the third when the Retrievers broke it open with four runs on four walks and two hits. Sierra Pierce and Kaly Winslow each picked up two RBI in that at-bat.
 
After walking sophomore Olivia Labbe (Rochester, Mass.) and junior Courtney Cashman (Danvers, Mass.) to start the game, UMBC's Courtney Coppersmith retired 17 River Hawk batters in a row, as her squad would then make it 5-0 in the top of the fifth on a bloop single into shallow left.
 
Cashman got aboard on a tough play to the opposing second baseman in the home half of the sixth, but the Retrievers were able to keep the regular-season champions off the scoreboard for the remainder of the contest to secure the 5-0 outcome.  
 
"Going into tomorrow, we have to play fearless," Henderson added. "We have to go out there with nothing to lose and be able to fight a little bit more."