LOWELL, Mass. – Four players on the squad collected two hits each, as the UMass Lowell softball team (12-26, 6-10 AE) took the final game of its America East Conference series against Maine (4-36, 1-16 AE), 5-2, on Sunday afternoon.
"It was good, to win three games against any team is really hard," commented Head Coach Jen Starek. "We're gritty, and even though we went down early, we worked through with some really good at-bats."
Senior Lea White (Meriden, Conn.) went 2-for-4 with two RBI, including a double that was inches away from leaving the park. Senior Elizabeth Frederick (Sunapee, N.H.) batted .667 with a double, RBI and a stolen base. Graduate student Brenna Davenport (Merrimack, N.H.) and junior Emily Tow (North Kingstown, R.I.) both recorded two hits and a run on the afternoon, while senior Morgan Fisher (Glassboro, N.J.) added a hit and a run. Freshmen Alaina Santoli (Lovettsville, Va.) and Elizabeth Neeld (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) both made an impact at the plate by recording an RBI.
"It was good for us to work through this type of pitching before the postseason, and I thought we grinded it out really well" responded Starek when asked about the hitting in game three.
Graduate student Ryley White (Wareham, Mass.) took the decision for the series finale, going the distance with four hits conceded and seven strikeouts to earn her 10th win of the season. The Massachusetts native also recorded her 500th career strikeout in the contest.
UMass Lowell loaded the bases in its first at-bat, with L. White grabbing a leadoff single to center field, followed by back-to-back walks from Fisher and Frederick. However, Maine was able to escape the threat and keep the game scoreless.
In the top of the second, Maine's Katie Joe Moery advanced to third after a sacrifice bunt. With a runner in scoring position, Rylie Kent hit a slow rolling single to the shortstop to give the Black Bears a 1-0 edge.
The visitors added another run in the following inning, as Kyrah Haba-Dailey hit a leadoff single before eventually scoring out the visitors on top, 2-0. The River Hawks threatened to cut into the deficit when Frederick launched a double to the right-center gap and stole third base, but she would be stranded there to keep the margin intact through three complete.
In the bottom of the fourth, the River Hawks garnered another bases-loaded chance after Tow and graduate student Cayla Tulley (Corona, Calif.) hit back-to-back singles, followed by a walk from Santoli. With the game-tying run on second base, L. White crushed a ball that clipped the top of the left field fence to stay in play, clearing the bases to even the score.
UMass Lowell earned another scoring opportunity in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases for the third time in the afternoon after Santiago and Tow singled, and Tulley earned a walk. Up stepped Santoli, who drove a ball to the shortstop, forcing her to make the quick out and allow sophomore Shannon Howes (Palgrave, Ontario), who pinch-ran for Santiago, to score and give the hosts a 3-2 lead.
The hot hitting continued into the bottom of the sixth, when Davenport hit a leadoff single before Fisher sent a double down the left field line to put runners on second and third. Frederick followed by lining a RBI single past the shortstop and build the buffer to 4-2. Neeld then came in for a pinch-hit appearance, where she would send a sacrifice fly to deep center field to score Fisher from third and extend the lead to 5-2
The River Hawks closed the game with a groundout to second base to take a 5-2 victory and sweep the Black Bears.
UMass Lowell hits the road to conclude America East play at Binghamton for a three-game series, set for May 3-4.
