NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – A four run deficit could not keep the UMass Lowell softball team (11-5) away from victory at Central Connecticut State (0-16), as the River Hawks swept the Blue Devils in their Friday doubleheader.

The River Hawks opened the afternoon with a 5-3 win and, after trailing early, rebounded to defeat CCSU, 7-6, in the second end of the twin bill.
 
Junior left fielder Cayla Tulley (Corona, Calif.) continued her success at the plate following her America East Player of the Week selection. She ended the afternoon by turning in a 4-for-8 performance, driving in seven RBI and smacking two home runs, including a grand slam that evened game two. Sophomore Lea White (Meriden, Conn.) finished the day with a .500 average (4-8) and tallied a pair of RBI in both contests, with one ultimately clinching the sweep for UMass Lowell. In the circle, junior Chelsea Runyon (Scripps Ranch, Calif.) struck out a career-high 12 batters to earn her second win of the season in the first game.
 
Tulley wasted little time getting on the board and kept her hot streak alive in the opening inning of the first matchup. She sent an outside pitch down the right field line for an RBI double to put the River Hawks out front, 1-0.
 
Central Connecticut responded in the home half of the frame by loading the bases, but back-to-back strikeouts by Runyon allowed UMass Lowell to escape the inning unscathed. The junior would continue to dominate from the circle through the middle innings. By the conclusion of the fourth frame, Runyon had racked up 10 total strikeouts and allowed just four Blue Devil baserunners.
 
The opponents eventually responded in the bottom of the fifth, when a long fly ball followed the left field line and hit the foul pole, crediting CCSU with a home run and knotting the game at one run apiece.
 
The River Hawk offense awoke in their return to the dish. White had perfect connection with a 2-2 pitch that she drove to straightaway center and cleared the wall for a two-run homer.
 
UMass Lowell then extended its lead to 5-1, as Tulley turned on a pitch and hit a two-run shot in the final frame. While Runyon surrendered a pair of runs to Central Connecticut in a last effort to draw even, the River Hawks shut down the Blue Devils and clinched the game one victory.
 
However, the squad found themselves in a 5-1 hole after the opening innings in the second contest of the day.

In the fifth inning, though, the River Hawks rallied to load the bases and brought Tulley to the plate. She delivered in a huge way with a grand slam to left center, drawing UMass Lowell even. Graduate student Olivia Labbe (Rochester, Mass.) continued to build on the run production and followed with a solo shot to put the visitors out front, 6-5.
 
A Blue Devil retaliation brought the score to 6-6 entering the final inning. The River Hawks fought for a two-out rally, which gave Lea White another turn at the plate, with the possible game-winning run on second base. A single allowed Tulley to score and UMass Lowell completed the comeback for a 7-6 win.
 

The River Hawks return to tournament play by visiting Penn State for a three-day invitational, beginning on Friday, March 18. They open with a battle with the hosting Nittany Lions scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.