HAMPTON, Va. – The UMass Lowell softball team (1-6) dropped a pair of matchups against Lehigh and Hampton on Saturday at Hampton University as part of the Norfolk State-Hampton Invitational.

The River Hawks fell, 5-1, in game one before dropping game two by a score of 5-2.

Lehigh pitcher Katelyn Young kept the River Hawks' lineup at bay for the majority of the game, allowing just two hits in a complete game with 12 strikeouts. The hits came off the bats of graduate student Mya Case (Syracuse, N.Y.) and senior Darlene Gutierrez (Colton, Calif.). 

Emily Reid started game one in the circle, finishing with three strikeouts and four earned runs allowed in six innings of work. 

The Mountain Hawks crossed the plate first in the first inning, scoring two runs on an Emily Cimino RBI single and a Rory Dudley RBI double. 

UMass Lowell would cut the lead in half in the top of the third, after Gutierrez scored on a Lehigh error following her leadoff double. 

Lehigh broke the game open in the following innings, scoring a run in each of the next three, while shutting down the River Hawks lineup for the remainder of the matchup. The best opportunity for the River Hawks occurred in that third inning, as they had runners on second and third, but Lehigh shortstop Carley Barjaktorivich was able to throw a River Hawk runner out at the plate to halt the momentum.

Junior Morgan Fisher (Glassboro, N.J.) found success from the plate for the River Hawks in game two, finishing 3-for-3 with a double while sophomore Emily Tow (North Kingstown, R.I.) was the other player to get multiple hits, going 2-for-3. 

Graduate student pitcher Kaylie See (Chino Calif.) and Pirates pitcher Carmynn Bonner started the game with three shut out innings in a pitcher's duel that featured just three total hits. The River Hawks took advantage of a Hampton error in the fourth and both senior Cayla Tulley (Corona, Calif.) and junior Lea White (Meriden, Conn.) crossed the plate to take the lead. The Pirates cut the lead in half in the home half of the inning when Julia Sonnet drove in a run on a ground out to make it 2-1 in favor of the Rifer Hawks. 

The hosts separated themselves in the fifth inning, scoring four runs on two hits to take the 5-2 lead. Nicol Ley and Taylor Ivey each knocked in a run, while Emily Kepple and Ley scored on an error to extend their lead. The River Hawks had a chance to make something happen in the top of the seventh when graduate student Tori Mueller (Clovis, Calif.) singled with a runner on base and advanced to second to give the team runners on second and third with two outs, but the River Hawks were unable to cash in on the opportunity, ending the game with a 5-2 final. 

Next up, the squad will return to Lady Pirates Softball Complex at Hampton University tomorrow, Sunday, February 19 to take on Quinnipiac at 10 AM.