ORONO, ME. – Graduate student Ryley White (Wareham, Mass.) threw 10 strikeouts in her final career appearance, as the No. 5 UMass Lowell softball team (17-28) fell, 4-0, to top-seeded UAlbany (32-12) Saturday afternoon in the America East Championship title game.

Graduate student Brenna Davenport (Merrimack, N.H.), graduate student Cayla Tulley (Corona, Calif.) and senior Elizabeth Frederick (Sunapee, N.H.) all recorded base hits on the afternoon, with Tulley registering a double.

R. White took the circle for the championship game, pitching her third straight complete game in two days and finishing her UMass Lowell career with 542 total strikeouts, the most in Division I program history.

UMass Lowell started hot, grabbing singles from Fisher and Frederick to put runners on base. However, UAlbany's Wendi Hammond ended the first at-bat with a strikeout. The home side then garnered their own scoring chance after collecting a single and stolen base to put a runner on second, but R. White extinguished that opportunity, striking out the side to close the first in a scoreless tie.

The Great Danes broke the deadlock in their next at-bat, grabbing a walk and double before Sara Anderson sent a two-RBI single to center field. They looked to extend the lead in the bottom of the third, but R. White collected her sixth and seventh strikeouts to keep the difference at just 2-0. 
After both defenses retired the opposing side in the fourth inning, UAlbany extended the margin with another two-RBI single, this time from Mary Kate Murray to make it 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth.

UMass Lowell battled to close the gap in the top of the sixth, when Tulley hit a leadoff double to right field to give life to the River Hawk offense. However, Hammond retired the next three batters to end the opportunity, and would go on to take a 4-0 decision, giving the River Hawks a 17-29 overall record to end their season.

After an incredible postseason run, three members of the UMass Lowell softball team were named to the America East All-Championship Team. Senior Lea White (Meriden, Conn.) was the first River Hawk to earn postseason honors, collecting four hits with two RBI and two runs, including scoring the go-ahead in an elimination game against No. 3 Bryant (5.10). Next was Frederick, who batted .357 during the championship, adding two runs and an RBI. She also recorded the go-ahead RBI double against No. 2 Binghamton (5.10) to send the River Hawks to the title game. The last member of the team to earn honors was R. White, who went 3-1 with a 1.68 ERA and 34 strikeouts. She helped guide the River Hawks to the championship game after pitching in both elimination games on May 10 against No. 3 Bryant and No. 2 Binghamton, throwing in 16.0 innings with two runs allowed 16 strikeouts.