COMMERCE, TEXAS. – Graduate Student Brenna Davenport (Merrimack, N.H.) batted .600 (3-5) with three RBI, as the UMass Lowell softball team (1-1) split a pair of games to open the 2024 season at the Lion Classic hosted by Texas A&M-Commerce on Friday afternoon.
The River Hawks defeated Texas Southern, 7-1, in game one before dropping the second, 13-3, against host A&M-Commerce in five innings.
"We saw some really good things," commented Head Coach Jen Starek. "We also hit some bumps and saw some learning opportunities. We're ready to get back out there tomorrow."
In addition to Davenport, senior Morgan Fisher (Glassboro, N.J.) also logged three hits, including a double and a triple. Five other River Hawks registered multiple hits on opening day, highlighted by senior Ellie Frederick (Sunapee, N.H.), who recorded a team-high three runs scored.
In the circle, graduate student Ryley White (Wareham, Mass.) started the season off strong, working through 4.1 innings before allowing a hit and finishing game one with nine strikeouts in a complete game victory. Sophomore Giana LaCedra (Tyngsboro, Mass.) took the decision in game two, striking out two in 2.1 innings of work.
The River Hawks came out swinging in game one, when Frederick led off with a double to left field before freshman Isabel Quintanilla (Puyallup, Wash.) singled to left center for her first career hit. Senior Lea White (Meriden, Conn.) knocked in the game's first run, driving an RBI single to center field to plate Frederick and give the squad an early lead.
The teams combined for three runners left on base until the top of the fourth when Davenport collected her first hit of the season with an RBI single to left field to score freshman Olivia DeCitise (Troy, N.Y.) and extend the lead to 2-0.
The River Hawks continued their dominance at the plate in the fifth, rallying for three runs on four hits. Graduate student Cayla Tulley (Corona, Calif.) would drive in a runner with a shot to center and junior Trinadey Santiago (Cheshire, Conn.) followed with an RBI single of her own before junior Emily Tow (North Kingstown, R.I.) crushed a double down the left field line to stretch the buffer to 5-0.
Texas Southern got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the inning, using a pair of hits to tally their first run, but the River Hawks got it back and then some in the top of the seventh with a two-run double from Davenport. Back in the field one last time, R. White ended the game with a strikeout, giving the River Hawks their first win of the season with a 7-1 decision.
The River Hawks rolled the momentum into the start of game two, as Frederick and Quintanilla got aboard with back-to-back singles before Frederick opened the scoring on a miscue by the Lions' catcher. Fisher later closed out the first with a home run to left center field to give her side an early, 2-0 lead.
However, the Lions responded quickly, grabbing one run in the first and four in the second with the help of a three-run home run by Charli Anger and a solo home run from Diamond Sefe to make it 5-2 through two innings. The hosts would further extend the lead, though, with three runs in the third and five runs in the fourth.
Junior Jen Slanovec (Bethlehem, Pa.) would make an appearance in the circle in the third, going 1.2 innings pitched before DeCitise relieved her in the fourth, making her collegiate debut. She recorded her first career strikeout with the first batter she faced.
The River Hawks would continue to battle throughout the remainder of the game, drawing two walks from Frederick and Quintanilla in the fifth. L. White followed with a single to center field to advance the runners before Fisher would drive in a run after grounding into a double play. However, it was not enough to extend the game, as the Lions earned the 13-3 outcome.
The River Hawks will face off against Texas Southern again on Saturday, February 10 at 12 p.m. The squad will then challenge Quinnipiac at 4 p.m., a newly added game replacing the originally scheduled rematch against Texas A&M-Commerce.
