NORFOLK, Va. – Junior Giana LaCedra (Tyngsboro, Mass.) struck out five in game two to secure the win, as UMass Lowell (1-10) split with Hampton (7-9) at the Spartan/Pirate Challenge on Saturday afternoon at NSU Softball Field. 

The River Hawks fell, 3-1, in game one against the Pirates before claiming their first victory of the season in game two, earning the 2-0 shutout.  

"Gianna was great in the circle," said Head Coach Jen Starek. "We played really good defense with just enough offense in game two." 

Freshman Spinello-Branch (Lorton, Va.) led the River Hawks at the plate, going 4-for-6 on the day and earning a run in game one. Freshman Grace Stepp (Richboro, Pa.) tallied the lone RBI in game one, with senior Emily Tow (North Kingstown, R.I.) and sophomore Alaina Santoli (Lovettsville, Va.) picking up an RBI each in game two. Spinello-Branch, Tow and sophomore Elizabeth Neeld (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) all earned extra-base hits today.

Senior Jen Slanovec (Bethlehem, Pa.) received the start in game one and struck out three. Sophomore Olivia DeCitise (Troy, N.Y.) came in for relief, as she struck out four. LaCedra went the full seven in game two to only allow three hits.  

It was a scoreless first two innings for both squads in game one of the doubleheader.

The River Hawks sparked their offense in the top of the third, as Santoli and Spinello-Branch had base hits, but UMass Lowell was unable to scratch a run across. In the home half of the inning, three hits would help the Pirates clinch three runs. 

In the following inning, the River Hawks would take one run back, starting with a walk for Tow and then a single to short hit by DeCitise. Stepp would do the honor of hitting Tow home with a single to short, cutting the difference to 3-1.  

Spinello-Branch tried to get the River Hawks restarted in the fifth as she had a solid hit to third.  

The River Hawks did not allow Hampton to score for the rest of the contest, but the 3-1 difference held steady.  

In game two, Spinello-Branch got the River Hawks started, hitting a single to left and then quickly advancing to second on a wild pitch. Tow followed her lead, as she hit in the early run for UMass Lowell in the top of the first with a double to center, sending Spinello-Branch home.  

Freshman Taylor Dolan (Holbrook, Mass.) began the second inning launching a single to left center. Dolan then stole second to put the River Hawks in scoring position. Santoli slapped a triple, giving Dolan plenty of time to reach the plate, putting UMass Lowell ahead, 2-0. In the bottom half of the inning, Hampton countered with a single, but the home team was unable to string hits together.  

Both sides went three-up and three-down in the third. Action continued for the River Hawks in the fourth, though, as Neeld ripped a double to left center. In the home part of the inning, the Pirates would answer with a hit of their own.  

UMass Lowell earned two hits between the fifth and sixth innings with a double to left center from Spinello-Branch and a single to short hit by Tow, although neither resulted in runs scored.  

It was not until the bottom of the seventh when the Pirates would threaten again, hitting a single and trying to rally, but LaCedra and the River Hawks held on for the win.

UMass Lowell is back Sunday, March 2 for its final day at the Spartan/Pirate Challenge, facing Norfolk State at 11 a.m. on NSU Softball Field.