COMMERCE, TEXAS. – Freshman Isabel Quintanilla (Puyallup, Wash.) batted .333 (2-5) with three RBI and a home run, as the River Hawks (1-3) dropped a pair of games on the second day at the Lion Classic hosted by Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday afternoon.
 
The River Hawks fell, 11-6, to Texas Southern in game one, before falling 10-4 in game two against Quinnipiac.
 
Senior Lea White (Meriden, Conn.) recorded two hits in each contest to lead all River Hawks, as well as two RBI in the first outing. Senior Cayla Tulley (Corona, Calif.) registered one hit, one run and one RBI in game two.
 
In the circle, freshman Olivia DeCitise (Troy, N.Y.) took the decision, while graduate student Ryley White (Wareham, Mass.) recorded the decision in the second game, going 4.1 innings pitched with five strikeouts.
 
To start the day, the Tigers of Texas Southern came out strong, as Marisa Perla and Madison Griggs connected to give their squad an early, 3-0 lead. The lead would grow, as the away team added six more runs in the first, followed by two more in the second to create an 11-0 margin after two innings.
 
DeCitise would make her first career start in the outing before sophomore Giana LaCedra (Tyngsboro, Mass.) relieved her. Junior Jen Slanovec (Bethlehem, Pa.) would make an appearance midway through the second inning, working the rest of the game and finishing with six strikeouts. 
 
At the plate, the River Hawks responded with a two-run home run to left field from Quintanilla, the first of her collegiate career, making it 11-2 through three innings. 

In the fourth, back-to-back singles from freshman Alaina Santoli (Lovettsville, Va.) and senior Ellie Frederick (Sunapee, N.H.) and a walk from Quintanilla would give the squad a bases-loaded opportunity in the fourth. L. White capitalized on the opportunity, crushing a double to the left-center field gap to drive in Santoli and Frederick. A sacrifice fly from senior Morgan Fisher(Glassboro, N.J.) would score Quintanilla to close the gap to six, 11-5.
 
The River Hawks scored another run in the fifth, but were unable to come any closer, as the Tigers earned the 11-6 outcome. 
 
In game two, the Bobcats capitalized with an RBI single from Lauren Hilliard in the first, followed by an RBI double from Natalia Apatiga in the third, to take a 2-0 edge. The River Hawks would respond with strong discipline at the plate, giving the team a bases-loaded opportunity. A hit-by-pitch from freshman Elizabeth Neeld (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) brought in the first River Hawk run, followed by a walk from junior Emily Tow (North Kingstown, R.I.) and another hit-by-pitch from Ellie Frederick to put UMass Lowell in front, 3-2, through four innings.
 
Slanovec would relive R. White in the fourth, for her second appearance of the day. She would pitch 2.1 innings with a strikeout and no earned runs and go on to finish the game for the River Hawks.
 
However, Quinnipiac strung together eight runs from a handful of singles and walks drawn to give the team a 10-3 lead after five. 
 
The River Hawks battled to cut the deficit, starting with L. White reaching on a fielder's choice to score sophomore Shannon Howes (Palgrave, Ontario) in the sixth. However, it was not enough, as the Bobcats secured a 10-4 victory.
 
The River Hawks conclude the weekend at the Lion Classic against in-state rival Stonehill on Sunday, February 11 at 10 a.m.