ORONO, Maine – The No. 4 UMass Lowell softball team (27-27) saw its postseason run come to a close on Saturday afternoon in the America East Championship at the Pierre & Catherine Labat Softball Complex, falling to No. 2 Binghamton (20-25) by scores of 10-8 and 4-2. The River Hawks built an early seven-run lead in the opener before the Bearcats rallied late, while Lowell battled until the final out in the winner-take-all championship game.
Junior Isabel Quintanilla (Puyallup, Wash.) led the River Hawks offensively across the two games, batting 3-for-6 with five RBI and three walks, while junior Elizabeth Neeld (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) totaled four hits and four RBI on the day. Sophomore Emily Baumes (Rexford, N.Y.) added four hits in the doubleheader, and sophomore Thyanais Santiago (Methuen, Mass.) collected three hits, two runs scored and two RBI.
Game 2: UMass Lowell 8, Binghamton 10
The River Hawks came out swinging in the opener, needing just three batters to take control. Neeld opened the game with a single to left before Santiago followed with a base hit of her own, setting the table for Quintanilla, who launched a three-run home run to left-center to give Lowell a quick 3-0 advantage in the first inning.
Lowell kept the pressure on in the second inning. Freshman Ella Van Alstyne (Beacon Falls, Conn.) ripped a leadoff double before Avery Spinello-Branch (Lorton, Va.) dropped down a bunt single. Neeld lined an RBI single into right field and Santiago followed with another run-scoring hit to left. Later in the inning, Quintanilla shot an RBI single up the middle to extend the lead to 6-0.
The offense added another run in the third after Van Alstyne reached and eventually came around to score, pushing the margin to 7-0. Meanwhile, senior Giana LaCedra (Tyngsborough, Mass.) kept Binghamton off balance through the first four innings, allowing just one hit while the River Hawks remained in control.
Binghamton got on the board with two runs in the fifth, although Lowell answered immediately in the sixth. Sophomore Madi Wade (Hagerstown, Md.) worked a leadoff walk before freshman Julia Rowley (Beacon Falls, Conn.) punched a single through the middle to put two runners aboard. After a flyout moved Wade to third, Baumes drove in the run with an RBI groundout to make it 8-2.
The Bearcats mounted their comeback in the bottom half of the sixth, using a series of timely hits and infield plays to erase the deficit and take a 10-8 lead. Lowell threatened in the seventh after Santiago reached and Quintanilla worked a walk to bring the tying run aboard, but Binghamton turned a game-ending double play to force a deciding second game.
Game 2: UMass Lowell 2, Binghamton 4
Binghamton struck first in the championship final with a solo home run in the opening inning, although the River Hawks answered in the third. Baumes singled up the middle before Spinello-Branch and Neeld followed with back-to-back hits to load the bases. Quintanilla then worked a four-pitch walk to force in the tying run and even the score at 1-1.
The Bearcats regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning before adding another run on a solo homer in the fourth to extend the margin to 3-1.
Lowell continued to pressure offensively throughout the afternoon, tallying 10 hits in the final game. In the sixth inning, Santiago ripped a double down the left-field line and advanced to third on a groundout before sophomore Kate Hardy (Alexandria, Va.) lined an RBI single through the middle to cut the deficit to 4-2. Rowley followed with another single to put the tying run aboard, although the Bearcats escaped the inning without further damage.
The River Hawks made one final push in the seventh when Baumes and Spinello-Branch recorded back-to-back singles to open the inning. Neeld then dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position, but Binghamton held on as the River Hawks wrapped up the 2026 campaign after an impressive run to the America East Championship round.
