HAMPTON, Va. – Junior Cayla Tulley (Corona, Calif.) capped off a three-hit, four-RBI performance by driving in the game-winning score in the second of two games on Saturday for the UMass Lowell softball team at the Spartan-Pirate Clash.
 
Despite falling to Drexel, 6-3, to begin the morning, the River Hawks battled with co-host Hampton throughout the afternoon and clinched the game in eight innings, 6-5.
 
Tulley hit 5-for-7 on Saturday and drove in five total RBI, including a solo home run. Graduate student Olivia Labbe (Rochester, Mass.) finished the afternoon 2-for-5 at the dish with three runs. In the circle, junior Ryley White (Wareham, Mass.) secured her fifth win of the season in the outing against the Pirates.
 
The River Hawks trailed, 2-0, early in game one against Drexel until sophomore Elizabeth Frederick (Sunapee, N.H.) smacked a solo shot down the left field line and over the fence to cut the difference in half at the end of the first inning.
 
The Dragons responded by tacking on another pair in the second to go up, 4-1, but UMass Lowell would continue to fight back. RBI singles by catcher Becca Vaillancourt (Tiverton, R.I.) and Tulley chipped away at the Drexel lead and made it a one-run game through three innings.
 
The score held through the middle frames, as neither offense was able to scratch across additional runs until the Dragons were able to plate a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh to seal the 6-3 outcome.
 
As the page turned to the night cap against Hampton, so did the offensive production out of the gate. The River Hawks jumped out to a 3-0 lead thanks to a pair of doubles by junior Brenna Davenport (Merrimack, N.H.) and Tulley. The New Hampshire native turned on a pitch to drive it straight down the left field line to knock in the runner from second. Later in the inning, Tulley replicated the feat to scratch across another pair for the River Hawks.

 
The Pirates answered in their first appearance, scoring three runs of their own off a single through the center gap and a two-run homer, knotting things up. Hampton secured their first lead of the ball game in the third frame off an RBI single into right field.
 
UMass Lowell dug in at the dish and worked baserunners into scoring position in the fifth inning. An infield hit to the first baseman by sophomore Morgan Fisher (Glassboro, N.J.) opened the window of opportunity for Labbe to cross home safely and force another stalemate, this time at 4-4.
 
The teams continued to trade blows as regulation came to a close. The River Hawks trailed 5-4 heading into the sixth inning, when Tulley returned to the plate and hit a solo home run to give the River Hawks life. While the Pirates pressured in a last effort to regain the lead, the defense held and sent the game to extras.
 
Tulley stepped up to the plate and tallied her fourth RBI of the day via a single to center in the away half of the eighth inning, giving the River Hawks the advantage.
 
In the field, UMass Lowell intentionally walked a Pirates hitter with one out to load the bases for Hampton. A ground ball scorched down the line was scooped up by third baseman Tori Mueller (Clovis, Calif.), who tapped her bag for the force out and completed the throw over to first. The double play closed the lid for the Pirates, allowing UMass Lowell to escape with the 6-5 victory.
 
UMass Lowell returns to Hampton yet again tomorrow to close out the weekend with an early matchup against Rider at 10 a.m. and a second bout with the co-hosting Pirates at 2 p.m.