WORCESTER, Mass. – Freshman Avery Spinello-Branch (Lorton, Va.) went 5-for-8 at the plate, as UMass Lowell (10-18, 4-4 AE) grabbed two wins at Holy Cross (6-25) in non-conference action at Freshman Field on Wednesday afternoon.  

The River Hawks first defeated the Crusaders 3-0 in game one before earning a 10-2 victory in game two.  

"Great team wins today," said Head Coach Jen Starek. "Pitchers threw well, good defense and the bats really came to life." 

Spinello-Branch also picked up three RBI, two runs and two stolen bases. Freshman Thyanais Santiago (Methuen, Mass.) went 3-for-4 in game two with two RBI and two stolen bases on the day. Senior Emily Tow (North Kingstown, R.I.) was 2-for-4 at the plate with three RBI and two runs in game two.  

Sophomore Olivia DeCitise (Troy, N.Y.) received the start in game one, going the full seven in the circle with five strikeouts. Junior Giana LaCedra (Tyngsborough, Mass.) got the nod for game two, pitching six innings and earning two strikeouts. Senior Jen Slanovec (Bethlehem, Pa.) came in for relief, pitching the seventh in the second game.  

Freshman Emily Baumes (Rexford, N.Y.) started game one with a leadoff walk followed by a textbook sac bunt from Spinello-Branch to advance to second. Freshman Madi Wade (Hagerstown, Md.) then stepped up, driving a single to center to send Baumes home and put the River Hawks up, 1-0. Holy Cross countered in the bottom of the inning with a hit, but the runner was stranded.  

In the second, Santiago reached on a fielding error and stole second to put herself in to scoring position. DeCitise walked and Baumes was hit by the pitch, but the score remained 1-0 UMass Lowell. It was also a quiet third inning for both teams, going three-up-three-down.  

The fourth inning consisted of a double to left field produced by DeCitise, trying to help herself out, as the River Hawks held onto a slim margin. The Crusaders would threaten with a hit in the bottom of the sixth, but it was not enough. 

In the top of the seventh, Spinello-Branch came to the dish with runners on and singled to center, plating two to increase UMass Lowell's lead to 3-0.

With one more chance for the Crusaders in the bottom of the seventh, they were only able to produce one hit, resulting in a 3-0 victory for the River Hawks.  

Game two was quickly underway, with the teams trading one hit apiece in the first, including a single through the left side by Spinello-Branch. In the second inning, sophomore Elizabeth Neeld (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) singled to center, followed by a hit from Santiago through the left side. Hardy then laid down a sac bunt to advance the runners, allowing Neeld to eventually score on a passed ball. Next, Fitzgerald put a ball in play to score Santiago to give the River Hawks a 2-0 edge.  

Baumes and Spinello-Branch led off the third inning with base hits before Tow launched a double to the left-center fence to clear the bases. Tow stole third to get into position for an RBI from Wade (Hagerstown, Md.). Next, Neeld walked, and Hardy ripped a single through the left side to score another River Hawk, increasing their lead to 5-0. The bottom of the third is when Holy Cross earned its first run of the day, generated by a double.  

The sides combined for two hits in the fourth and in the fifth, Santiago singled to short, followed by a walk granted to Hardy.  

Tow knocked a base hit to right center in the sixth to drive in another run and would score on a triple down the right field line by Wade, making the score 7-1. UMass Lowell was able to hold Holy Cross to one hit in the bottom of the inning.  

In the seventh, Santiago singled to the pitcher and quickly advance to second on a passed ball. Hardy reached on a fielding error by the pitcher, giving Santiago time to get to third. Freshman Callie Stubbs (Salem, Ore.) then earned an RBI, sending Santiago home. Up next, Baumes doubled to right center scoring Hardy. Baumes took third on a wild pitch, followed by a hard-hit ball to short by Spinello-Branch, pushing Baumes home to take the 10-1 lead.  

The Crusaders put up a fight in the bottom of the seventh of game two, recording two hits for one run. The River Hawks would hold on to earn the 10-2 victory.

The River Hawks are back on Friday, April 11 for a doubleheader at Bryant with a 2 p.m. start time at Conaty Park.