LOWELL, Mass. – Sophomore Olivia DeCitise (Troy, N.Y.) totaled 11 strikeouts, as the UMass Lowell softball team (17-27, 7-13 AE) earned a 5-0 win against UMBC in the regular-season finale on Saturday.
 
The River Hawks posted a three-run fifth inning to earn the win behind a complete game, one-hit shutout from DeCitise. Freshman Madi Wade (Hagerstown, Md.) was 2-for-2 with two RBI to headline the offense. Four other River Hawks recorded hits in the win, including freshman Kate Hardy's (Alexandria, Va.) two-run single in the fifth to break the game open.

"It was good, I thought we came out to play today," said Head Coach Jen Starek. "We're have people playing all over in different positions, but we got the best effort out of everyone. Olivia was awesome in the circle and our batters started attacking some pitches."

DeCitise was dominant from the first pitch at River View Field, striking out the side in the first before another one-two-three inning in the second. Senior Emily Tow (North Kingstown, R.I.) and Wade notched base hits in the first and second, but the game remained scoreless.
 
DeCitise registered another pair of punchouts in the third, escaping the inning with a UMBC runner on third to keep the visitors off the board and set the table for the River Hawks to open the scoring.
 
Ignited by a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Elizabeth Neeld (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) to move freshman Thyanais Santiago (Methuen, Mass.) to second, Wade unleashed a towering home run over the left field wall to provide the hosts with a 2-0 lead in the fourth. The blast marked her first career home run.
 
DeCitise stayed in control in the circle, fanning two batters in the top of the fifth, as the River Hawks added another run in the home half. Sophomore Alaina Santoli (Lovettsville, Va.) and freshman Emily Baumes (Rexford, N.Y.) singled before Santagio drew a walk to load the bases. Neeld ultimately drew another walk to plate Santoli to give UMass Lowell a 3-0 lead.
 
The offense kept coming, as Hardy then recorded a two-run single to stretch the buffer to 5-0. The weather ended the game in the sixth, as the home team took the decisive victory.
 
UMass Lowell ends its season in fifth place in the America East ahead of the America East Championship from May 7-10.