LOWELL, Mass. — The UMass Lowell softball team (24-21, 11-6 AE) split a doubleheader against UAlbany (20-18, 9-7 AE) on Saturday afternoon at River View Field, falling in the opener, 4-2 in nine innings, before responding with a 10-3 win in game two.
Sophomore Thyanais Santiago (Methuen, Mass.) led the River Hawks at the plate across the two games with three hits and two RBI, while junior Elizabeth Neeld (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in game two. Freshman Julia Rowley (Beacon Falls, Conn.) added two hits and four RBI, including a three-run homer.
In the circle, junior Olivia DeCitise (Troy, N.Y.) earned the win in game two with a complete-game effort, striking out six, while senior Giana LaCedra (Tyngsborough, Mass.) went the distance in the opener.
Game 1: UMass Lowell 2, UAlbany 4 (9 inn.)
The River Hawks struck first in the third inning, capitalizing on early baserunners. After two hit-by-pitches and a single loaded the bases, Santiago delivered with a two-run single up the middle to give Lowell a 2-1 lead.
UAlbany answered in the sixth to even the score, and both sides remained locked through the seventh and eighth innings to force extras.
In the ninth, the Great Danes pieced together three hits, including a two-run double, to take control. Lowell threatened in the bottom half, as freshman Caroline Calkins (Orting, Wash.) doubled to put the tying run in scoring position, but UAlbany held on to secure the decision.
Santiago finished 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Calkins and senior Katelyn Fitzgerald (Ambler, Pa.) each added a hit. LaCedra allowed four runs on 10 hits across 9.0 innings of work.
Game 2: UMass Lowell 10, UAlbany 3
Lowell wasted no time in game two, erupting for six runs in the first inning to take control. Neeld opened the scoring with an RBI single before junior Isabel Quintanilla (Puyallup, Wash.) drove in two more. Rowley capped the frame with a three-run home run to left, pushing the lead to 6-0.
After UAlbany cut into the deficit in the second, the River Hawks added two more in the third, taking advantage of an error to extend the lead to 8-2.
Lowell continued to add on in the fifth, as Neeld launched a solo home run down the left field line and Rowley followed with an RBI single to make it 10-3.
DeCitise settled in from there, limiting UAlbany to three runs while scattering eight hits and striking out six in the complete-game victory.
Neeld led the offense with three hits and three runs scored, while Rowley drove in four runs. Quintanilla and Calkins each added two hits in the win.
Prior to the doubleheader, the River Hawks honored their three graduating seniors in Alaina Santoli (Lovettsville, Va.), Katelyn Fitzgerald (Ambler, Pa.) and Giana LaCedra (Tyngsborough, Mass.) for the mark they've left on the program.
The River Hawks close out the series against UAlbany on Sunday at River View Field.
