ELON, N.C. – Sophomore
Becca Vaillancourt (Tiverton, R.I.) had an impressive showing at the plate, as the UMass Lowell softball team split its doubleheader against host Elon at the Phoenix Invitational on Saturday afternoon.
The River Hawks won their first bout with the home team, 3-0, but lost a heartbreaker to the Phoenix in the second end of the twin bill, 4-3.
Vaillancourt reached base in seven of her right attempts on the day, hitting 4-for-5 and drawing two walks with one RBI. Senior
Tori Mueller (Clovis, Calif.) added to the offense, going 3-for-4 in game one, while sophomore
Morgan Fisher (Glassboro, N.J.) batted .500 with a run and an RBI, as well. In the circle, junior
Ryley White (Wareham, Mass.) improved her record to 3-0 following a complete-game shutout, where she struck out eight batters and only allowed 4 hits. Her teammate,
Chelsea Runyon (Scripps Ranch, Calif.) allowed just a single hit and run through the first five innings of action in game two of the doubleheader.
The River Hawks got on the board early in game one thanks to some crafty baserunning by graduate student
Olivia Labbe (Rochester, Mass.), which allowed her to take two bases on a stealing attempt and throwing error. After maneuvering her hand to get into third base, a wild pitch gave her the green light to come home and take the first-inning lead.
UMass Lowell would tally another score top of the third when junior
Cayla Tulley (Corona, Calif.) hit into a fielder's choice with loaded bases to plate , freshman
Brooke Ashenfelter (Stewartstown, Pa.).
The Phoenix nearly responded on the first pitch in the home half of the inning. A deep fly ball hit out to straightaway center field seemed like it may go the distance, but with little room between her and the fence, Labbe reached up to make the grab at the warning track and keep Elon scoreless.
Riding the momentum, a three-hit fourth inning for the River Hawks provided another insurance run. White singled through the right side to tally an RBI and put the squad up, 3-0, midway through the contest.
On defense, White and her supporting infielders allowed just one hit through the final four innings, closing the door on Elon's hopes for a comeback and sealing the victory.
Game two of the afternoon started with a pitcher's duel between Runyon and Elon's Taylor Cherry. Through just two innings, the pitchers combined for eight strikeouts.
In the third inning, Vaillancourt smacked a ground ball up the middle to knock in Labbe from second to jump out to a 1-0 lead. The advantage did not last long, though, as the Phoenix used a bluff steal attempt in the home half to score a runner from third base on the throw down to second, drawing things even once more.
In the next frame, UMass Lowell capitalized on a fielding error by Elon. Sophomore
Lea White (Meriden, Conn.) connected on the first pitch she faced and fired it through the right side to buy enough time for Fisher to round third and put the River Hawks ahead again, 2-1.
After loading the bases in the fifth, Fisher padded the River Hawks' lead when she turned on an inside pitch for a RBI single into left field.
Despite the home team only having a lone hit through much of the ballgame, Keagan Goldwait hit a three-run homer to give Elon the 4-3 lead in the sixth.
UMass Lowell fought to get two runners on base in the team's last trip to the dish, but it was not enough to even the board.
UMass Lowell wraps up the tournament with two more games on Sunday. The team first takes on Providence at 9:30 a.m. followed by Morgan State at 11:45 a.m. to close out the weekend.
