LOWELL, Mass. – A trip to University Park, Pennsylvania, will draw the opening tournament slate to a close for the UMass Lowell softball team (11-5) as they take part in the Penn State Invitational.
 
Friday, March 18
vs. Cornell (12:00 p.m.) – Watch | Live Stats
 
Saturday, March 19
at Penn State (3:30 p.m.) – Watch | Live Stats
vs. Rider (6:00 p.m.) – Watch | Live Stats
 
Sunday, March 20
vs. Cornell (10:00 a.m.) – Watch | Live Stats
vs. Rider (12:30 p.m.) – Watch | Live Stats
 
Last Time Out
Behind a 12-strikeout performance by junior Chelsea Runyon (Scripps Ranch, Calif.) and seven RBI from the bat of left fielder Cayla Tulley (Corona, Calif.), the River Hawks took both games in their March 11 doubleheader against Central Connecticut State. The squad opened the afternoon by taking down the hosting Blue Devils, 5-3, and later battled out of a four-run deficit to take game two, 7-6.
 
Dealing Cayla-teral Damage
Tulley followed her impressive showing at the Spartan-Pirate Clash by hitting 4-for-8 against CCSU, knocking in seven RBI. The junior smacked two home runs, including a grand slam that evened their second bout at five runs apiece and jump started the comeback victory. Tulley's last two weeks at the dish have launched her to the top of the America East leaderboard in RBI totals, with 19 thus far in 2022.
 
Kareer High
Runyon earned her second win of the season in style by sitting down a career high of 12 batters on strikes. By the fourth inning, she had already struck out 10 hitters and allowed just four CCSU baserunners.
 
White Hot
Sophomore Lea White (Meriden, Conn.) had hometown support in the River Hawks visit to New Britain. Less than a half hour drive from her former stomping grounds, White hit .500 at the plate in the doubleheader with the Blue Devils, driving in four RBI including a two-run homer.
 
Defensive Dominance
The River Hawks have shined when the ball is put in play by the opposition. UMass Lowell leads the America East with a .966 fielding percentage, having only committed 15 errors on 444 chances. The defense has converted 319 putouts and 110 assists through 16 games.
 
Scouting the Nittany Lions
Penn State closed the 2021 Big Ten only season with a disappointing 7-34 record. Those days appear to have subsided, as the Nittany Lions now sit at .500 with an 11-11 record this spring. The squad has faced pressure head on, losing to #11 Missouri and #13 Duke by slim margins but took down a feisty North Carolina team, 12-0.
 
A brief trip to Delaware resulted in a split doubleheader for Penn State last weekend. The Nittany Lions return to their home field coming off a 6-0 win against their in-state foe Pitt. Designated Player Ally Kurland led the charge for Penn State by hitting 3-for-4 and drove in two RBI to push them on to victory.
 
Kurland is among three players who hold an RBI total in double digits, with 19 in 2022, and ranks second in batting average (.356). Topping the ranks in that category is junior catcher Cassie Lindmark who bats .406 and has an on-base percentage of .488. The duo will be something the River Hawks' defense will need to manage, though the Nittany Lions collectively average .222 at the plate.
 
UMass Lowell will aim to exploit the Nittany Lion pitching, as Penn State's Bailey Parshall is the only one in the circle with an ERA under 4.0 (1.68).
 
Scouting the Broncs
A familiar foe on the River Hawks' slate this weekend will be Rider University. UMass Lowell met the Broncs at the Spartan-Pirate Clash and handed the squad their lone loss of the invitational, 3-0.
 
Since the two met on March 6, Rider visited the campus of East Carolina for the Purple-Gold Invitational. The Broncs rounded out the weekend with a 3-2 record, including a 23-9 stomping of Morehead State.
 
Six Rider players hold RBI totals in double-digits through the Broncs 14 games played. Junior Elena Gonzalez leads the pack with a total of 22 this spring. Following the Spartan-Pirate Clash, she was voted the MAAC Player of the Week. Also worth noting is Laneya Wright, who had an impressive outing against East Carolina that included a grand slam that pushed the Broncs on for an 8-0 win.
 
Scouting the Big Red
Cornell enters their third weekend of action with a 1-8 record, with their lone win coming over Siena during their opening tournament. They held a mutual competitor with UMass Lowell against Morgan State, where they lost 8-0 in six innings.
 
Generating offense has been a challenge for Cornell, with none of their starting lineup achieving a batting average above .300 to start the year. Consequentially, run production has been limited. Just seven runs have been scored by the Big Red in 2022, though patience at the plate has allowed them to achieve baserunners through walks.
 
Gabrielle Maday is the top arm for Cornell, holding a 3.05 ERA and allows a .282 batting average to opponents.