Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

EMMITSBURG, Md. – Junior Emily Tow (North Kingstown, R.I.) batted .333 with a home run and three RBI, as the UMass Lowell softball team (3-13) dropped a pair of close games at Mount St. Mary's on Saturday.

The River Hawks first fell, 4-2, in game one before forcing 10 innings in a 4-3 game two decision. 

Tow totaled two hits and added a run scored on the day. Four other River Hawks registered a hit across both contests, including freshman Isabel Quintanilla (Puyallup, Wash.), who collected a home run, two RBI and two runs. Senior Ellie Frederick (Sunapee, N.H.) logged a single and a walk, while senior Lea White (Meriden, Conn.) and graduate student Brenna Davenport (Merrimack, N.H.) both collected a hit in game one, as well.

Freshman Olivia DeCitise (Troy, N.Y.) started in the circle for game one, going 3.1 innings pitched with two strikeouts and three earned runs allowed. Junior Jen Slanovec (Bethlehem, Pa.) came in for relief in the third, pitching the remainder of the game and collecting a strikeout. Sophomore Giana LeCedra (Tyngsboro, Mass.) started in game two, going 4.1 innings pitched, allowing four hits and one earned run, and recording four strikeouts. Senior Ryley White (Wareham, Mass.) would finish the contest, collecting eight strikeouts and allowing two hits.

Game one was a defensive battle, as both pitchers held the opposing lineups to one hit each through the first three innings of the contest. Frederick got the first hit of the day for the River Hawks in the bottom of the second by sending a ball to shallow right field. She would get herself into scoring after a sacrifice bunt from Quintanilla. Frederick would attempt to steal third, but was picked off by the catcher.

The River Hawks' best opportunity came in the top of the fourth, when Quintanilla reached base on a bunt, followed by senior Morgan Fisher (Glassboro, N.J.) earning a walk to get multiple runners on base. Mount St. Mary's pitcher Olivia Murphy was able to escape the inning, keeping the game scoreless halfway through the third. The Mountaineers would break the game open in the bottom half of the inning, though, after a lead-off triple was followed by a home run from Tori Bowles to take a 2-0 lead. The home team would extend the lead with a two-RBI single, making it 4-0 after four innings.

UMass Lowell responded the following inning, as sophomore Katelyn Fitzgerald (Ambler, Pa.) walked before Tow stepped up to the plate and crushed a home run to left field, cutting the deficit to 4-2 after five innings. Senior Cayla Tulley (Corona, Calif.) used the momentum to reach base on a walk and advanced all the way to third base, but the team was unable to scratch across the run. 

The River Hawks continued to battle, but the home team held on for the rest of the game, taking a 4-2 decision.

Game two started with a bases-loaded opportunity for the River Hawks, with Quintanilla reaching on a fielding error by the third baseman, followed by a Fisher walk and Frederick fielder's choice. Tow continued her momentum from game one, hitting a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Quintanilla from third and giving the away side a 1-0 lead after the first. The Mountaineers would also get the bases loaded in the bottom half of the inning, but LaCedra and the River Hawk defense would keep the game scoreless.

The home team leveled the score at 1-1 on a miscue in the second. In the third, both teams would get runners on base, but the score remained unchanged.

UMass Lowell had an opportunity to regain the lead in the top of the fourth, starting with a single from Tow. She would go onto steal second and reach third after a wild pitch, putting herself in scoring position. Despite the threat, Mountaineers' pitcher Maddie Coleman would strikeout the next two River Hawks and escape the inning with the game remaining tied.

Mount St. Mary's threatened in the bottom of the fifth, bringing R. White in for relief. Despite getting runners on the corners, the veteran pitcher would prevent any runs from scoring, keeping it 1-1 after five. The home team continued to pressure in the following innings, but with the game on the line, R. White fanned two batters to force the game into extras.

Quintanilla broke the deadlock in the ninth with a two-run home run to left field, giving UMass Lowell a 3-1 edge going into the bottom half of the inning. However, the Mountaineers tied the game for the second time after collecting two RBI singles to make it 3-3 after nine innings.

In the bottom of the tenth, Mount St. Mary's would score the game-winning run on a single to shortstop, taking a 4-3 decision.

The River Hawks return to action tomorrow, March 17, at 12 p.m. for the final game of the series against Mount St. Mary's.