LOWELL, Mass. – Freshman Abby Packard (Horseheads, N.Y.) hit a team-best .600, as the UMass Lowell softball team (8-9, 4-2 AE) split an America East twin bill against Maine (4-11, 2-1 AE) to wrap up the weekend series.
 
The River Hawk offense came out hot in game one to earn a 9-4 victory, while the Black Bears took game two, 5-4.
 
"I thought we made pretty good contact, I just thought we lacked the fight that we needed to be able to come out and win the last game," said Head Coach Danielle Henderson. "Maine showed a lot of energy all three games and we needed to match that, but we just didn't."
 
Senior Sara Siteman (Hudson, N.H.) also added three hits on the day, including two doubles, along with three runs scored. Classmate Maria Moccio (Feeding Hills, Mass.) chipped in by batting .429 (3-7) in the doubleheader with two RBI, while graduate student Jennifer Lee (Woburn, Mass.) paced the squad with three RBI.
 
Sophomore pitcher Ryley White (Wareham, Mass.) went the distance in the circle in game one, fanning six batters to earn the win. Sophomore Chelsea Runyon (Scripps Ranch, Calif.) picked up the decision in game two, while senior Lovina Capria (Deltona, Fla.) came out of the bullpen and tallied six strikeouts of her own.
 
The River Hawks did not waste any time building a lead in game one, plating five runs in their first trip to the dish with the help of RBI singles from Moccio, Packard and rookie Lea White (Meriden, Conn.).
 
The Black Bears chipped away at the difference in their next two at-bats, using a two-run double by Emma Larke in the second followed by an Izzy Nieblas solo shot to straightaway center in the third to make the score 5-3.
 
UMass Lowell would get two of those runs back in the fourth, though, as graduate student Christina Rizzi (Manorville, N.Y.) and Siteman each knocked in a runner in the inning. Maine then closed the gap to 7-4 in the sixth with a laser up the middle by Grace McGouldrick, but Moccio and Lee tallied RBI singles in their final at-bats to propel the River Hawks to the 9-4 victory.
 
The Black Bears' bats came alive in game two, scoring four runs on five hits in the second inning. The visitors then added one more in the fourth on an infield single by Mariah Pearson.
 
Senior Sara Ratcliffe (Pelham, N.H.) got the River Hawks going in the home half of the inning with a lead-off single before scoring on a two-bagger to right center by Siteman. Lee later plated Siteman to cut the difference to 5-2.
 
Capria retired the Maine side in order in each of the visitor's last three chances, allowing the home side to threaten a seventh-inning comeback. Graduate student Courtney Cashman (Danvers, Mass.) tagged a two-run homer to right, putting UMass Lowell within one, but it was not enough, as the Black Bears held on for the 5-4 outcome.
 
The River Hawks will now head to Stony Brook for a four-game series next Saturday-Sunday, April 10-11.