(Photo courtesy of UMass Lowell Athletics) “River Hawks softball start the season with an 8-11-1 record.”
Riley Fontana
Connector Editor
River Hawks softball participated in the Rutgers Tournament in Piscataway, New Jersey, from March 17th through March 19th. They faced off against a few schools, including Saint Peter’s University, Iona University and Rutgers University. The team improved upon their overall season score, splitting the weekend with two wins and two losses.
They started the tournament off on Friday with a two-game sweep. They faced off against Saint Peter’s at 9 a.m. and Iona later in the day at 11 a.m. Senior pitcher Ryley White got the full-game win on the mound, only allowing three hits in nine innings. Graduate student utility player Mya Case leads the team in batting, going four for three at the plate with two runs and two RBIs.
Junior catcher Morgan Fisher added to the morning’s game with two RBIs of her own and a batting score of .429. White added to the offense with one hit to hold off Saint Peter’s comeback. At the end of nine innings, the River Hawks took a 3-2 win over Saint Peter’s Peacocks.
Later on Friday, they faced off against Iona University’s Gaels at 11 a.m. Freshman pitcher Giana LeCedra took to the mound for all nine innings, only allowing three runs on the day. The Gaels took an early first-inning lead with a home run from junior catcher Jamie Sheeran.
The River Hawks could make a come back in the seventh inning with a home run from freshman first basemen Katelyn Fitzgerald. Junior catcher Morgan Fisher added to the run total with an RBI late in the seventh to tie the game. Late in the eighth inning, Tori Mueller batted in senior infielder Brenna Davenport on a sacrifice fly for the walk off run. The River Hawks ultimately won the game 3-4 for a sweep on Friday.
On Saturday, they faced off against Iona and Saint Peter’s again and fell to both teams. The first game against Iona kicked off at nine a.m. Graduate student pitcher Kaylie See put up a good fight on the mound for the last few innings, relieving freshman Giana LaCedra who fought hard for a little over eight innings.
Sophomore pitcher Jen Slanovec went six innings against Iona. Salnovec only put up three strike outs during her time on the mound. Iona took a quick lead in the first with a two-run home run from graduate student and catcher Jessica Chilcott. In the fourth inning, the River Hawks took an offensive rush, with senior catcher Darlene Gutierrez scoring and batting in sophomore outfielder Emily Tow. Unfortunately, they could not come back and fell 5-8 against the Iona Gaels.
The River Hawks went up against Saint Peter’s on Saturday as well at 11 a.m.
LaCedra took to the mound for the second game in the tournament. Saint Peter’s offensive got off to a hot start batting in two runs before the sixth inning. The River Hawks ultimately dropped the game 6-4.
They play against Rutgers University in the final game of the tournament on Sunday, and they play against UMass Amherst on Wednesday at two p.m. on Riverview Field.
