LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Ryley White (Wareham, Mass.) and freshman Giana LaCedra (Tyngsboro, Mass.) each tossed complete-game victories from the circle, as the UMass Lowell softball team (17-24-1, 5-9 AE) swept Stonehill (4-37, 2-16 NEC) in a Tuesday doubleheader at River View Field.

The first game concluded with a 2-0 final score, while the River Hawks claimed game two by a score of 3-2. Graduate student Tori Mueller (Clovis, Calif.) finished the day 3-for-7 (.429) with a run scored, while teammate and classmate Mya Case (Syracuse, N.Y.) ended the day batting 3-for-5 (.600) with three runs scored. The team, as a whole, collected 17 total hits in the doubleheader. 

In seven innings of work in game one, White earned the shutout, allowing just two hits with eight strikeouts for her sixth win. In LaCedra's complete game, she allowed four hits and two runs to move to 9-5 on the year.

"It was good to get back in the win column," said Head Coach Jen Starek. "It was something that I think we needed. We needed to play gritty and execute some things out there. It was good to see Ryley and Giana get out there and have some really good performances."     

The River Hawks got out to a quick start offensively, tallying two hits, but were unable to get a run across. The Stonehill defense picked up two crucial outs, throwing Mueller out at third after a double, and catching Case stealing second after a single.

After two scoreless innings and impressive pitching from both teams, senior Cayla Tulley (Corona, Calif.) gave the River Hawks the 1-0 lead in the fourth inning with a line drive home run to left center field, giving her a team and conference-leading seven long balls on the year. As White continued to shut down the Skyhawks' lineup, the River Hawks added another run in the sixth inning, as sophomore Emily Tow (North Kingstown, R.I.) ripped a base hit up the middle to score Case, who walked to lead off the inning. In Stonehill's final chance to even the score, White brought the heat, striking out the final two batters to secure the 2-0 win for the River Hawks.     

Unlike game one, the River Hawks crossed the plate almost immediately in game two, as junior Morgan Fisher (Glassboro, N.J.) ripped an RBI single in the first, advancing to third on a Skyhawks miscue and driving in Mueller and Case after they hit consecutive infield singles. LaCedra kept the Stonehill lineup at bay in the second, before both teams tacked on a run in the third inning. In the top, Paige Wodarski hit an RBI single up the middle to cut the deficit to one, but the River Hawks responded with a run of their own, scored by Mya Case on a fielder's choice to earn back their two-run lead.

LaCedra did not allow a hit in the next two innings, helping the team maintain the lead, until the Skyhawks eventually got back on the board in the sixth, plating a run on an Emily Nardelli solo home run over the left field fence. The River Hawks took their 3-2 lead into the seventh, where LaCedra retired the side in order to clinch the win and the sweep.

Next up, the River Hawks return to River View Field on Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30 to face off against America East Conference foe UAlbany in a three-game series. The team will celebrate Senior Day during that series as it marks their final home games of the season.