LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Cayla Tulley (Corona, Calif.) grabbed her first home run of the season, as the UMass Lowell softball team (8-22, 3-7 AE) dropped a pair of games against Binghamton (27-10, 9-2 AE) on Wednesday afternoon.
The River Hawks fell, 4-2, in game one before falling, 4-3, in a close game two.
"I think we played really well, we were just one out away in each inning from making something happen," commented Head Coach Jen Starek. "We just got to keep doing what we're doing, execute and get better each day."
Tulley collected two hits on the day, adding two RBI and a run. Sophomore Katelyn Fitzgerald (Ambler, Pa.) went 2-for-5 with a run and RBI, while senior Elizabeth Frederick (Sunapee, N.H.) grabbed two hits, including a double. Graduate student Brenna Davenport (Merrimack, N.H.) and senior Morgan Fisher (Glassboro, N.J.) both collected a hit and RBI, with Davenport adding a double to her stat line for the afternoon.
Sophomore Giana LaCedra (Tyngsboro, Mass.) took the circle for game one, pitching all 7.0 innings with three hits allowed and matching a season-high five strikeouts. Graduate student Ryley White (Wareham, Mass.) started game two, pitching a complete game with 12 strikeouts.
The doubleheader started as a defensive battle, with both sides remaining hitless through the first two innings. Binghamton garnered the game's first scoring chance in the top of the third with bases loaded after earning a walk and two fielder's choices. After an 11-pitch at-bat, pitcher Allison L'Amoreaux hit a ball past the right field fencing to give the visitors a 4-0 lead.
The River Hawks threatened to cut into the deficit in the bottom of the fourth, though, as Frederick drove a double to right center to put a runner in scoring position. However, the Bearcats held on, collecting two pop-outs to keep the game at 4-0.
Both pitchers continued to limit the opposing lineups, only allowing six more hits for the remainder of the game. LaCedra pitched a complete game, allowing three hits and fanning five batters.
UMass Lowell battled into the game's final inning, starting with Davenport reaching first after an illegal pitch by L'Amoreaux. Then up stepped Tulley, who delivered a two-run home run to right field to cut the deficit to 4-2. Binghamton was able to hold on, though, recording a groundout to earn a 4-2 decision after game one.
R. White opened game two by striking out two batters and surpassing 450 career strikeouts, the first River Hawk to reach that mark in the Division I era. The River Hawks continued the strong start, beginning with senior Lea White (Meriden, Conn.) earning a walk and stolen base. With a runner in scoring position, Fisher crushed a ball that deflected off the pitcher's glove, allowing L. White to round third and slide into home plate, giving the home side an early, 1-0 advantage.
Hits were hard to come by, as both pitchers held their opponents to one each for the next three innings. R. White continued her strong performance in the circle, allowing one hit and collecting nine strikeouts through the first five innings of the contest.
Back-to-back singles from Frederick and Fitzgerald gave the River Hawks an opportunity to bridge the score further in the bottom of the fourth. However, Binghamton pitcher Olivia Kennedy was able to escape the inning and keep the score at 1-0.
In the top of the sixth, Binghamton leveled the game after an infield error allowed Brianna Santos to score from second to make it 1-1. The visitors then took the lead with a two RBI double from Alex Musial to extend the buffer to 3-1.
UMass Lowell responded in the bottom half of the inning, though, starting with a walk from Fisher. Sophomore Shannon Howes (Palgrave, Ontario) then came in to pinch run, stealing second and third before Fitzgerald drove a ball past the second baseman to score Howes from third and make it 3-2. Davenport followed with a line drive over the center fielder's head, scoring Fitzgerald from first and making it at 3-3 after six innings.
In Binghamton's final at-bat, third baseman Shelby Carvalho drove a home run to right field to give the Bearcats a 4-3 lead. UMass Lowell battled in its final chance of the contest, but was unable to score, giving the Bearcats a 4-3 decision in game two.
The River Hawks return to River View field this weekend for a three-game series with Bryant on April 20-21.
