BALTIMORE, Md. – Senior Maria Moccio (Feeding Hills, Mass.) registered two RBI, as the No. 4 River Hawks fell, 4-3, against No. 2 UAlbany to face elimination in the 2021 America East Championship on Friday afternoon.
 
The River Hawks battled back the whole way and even loaded the bases in the seventh with the tying and go-ahead runs, but the Great Danes were able to stave off the comeback.
 
With the decision, the River Hawks close out the shortened season with a 13-18 overall record. UAlbany (23-18) will now advance to the tournament's losers' bracket final later this afternoon where the team will battle for a spot in the America East title game.
 
"I just want to thank our seniors for what they have given to the program over the past four or five years," said Head Coach Danielle Henderson. "This is not how we wanted the season to end, but the team fought hard the whole way."
 
Moccio was one of four River Hawks to log a hit in the contest. Graduate student Jennifer Lee (Woburn, Mass.) added a hit and a RBI of her own, while senior Sarah Ratcliffe (Pelham, N.H.) scored two runs.
 
Senior Lovina Capria (Deltona, Fla.) went the distance in the circle with four strikeouts. UAlbany's Wendi Hammond improved to 11-5 with four strikeouts of her own, while her teammate Briana Garrett was called out of the bullpen in the final inning to pick up the save.
 
Both teams went three-up and three-down in the first before Lee logged the first hit of the contest with a single through the right side in the top of the second.
 
The Great Danes broke open the scoring in the bottom of the third, though, as the team took advantage of a two-out miscue and a base hit by Morgan Petty to jump in front, 3-0.
 
Ratcliffe would fire up the River Hawk offense with a lead-off triple down the first base line in the top of the fourth. Moccio then cut the difference to just one with a two-run blast over the wall in straightaway center.
 
UAlbany got one run back in the home half of the inning to pull away, 4-2, but UMass Lowell continued to chip away thanks to a sacrifice fly from Lee to deep center that plated Ratcliffe and put her squad back within one.
 
In the seventh, graduate student Courtney Cashman (Danvers, Mass.) reached on a fielder's choice with two outs. Classmates Christina Rizzi (Manorville, N.Y.) and Ratcliffe extended the inning with back-to-back walks, but the Great Danes held on to secure the 4-3 outcome.