LOWELL, Mass. — The UMass Lowell softball team (22-19) swept a midweek doubleheader against Holy Cross (7-24) on Tuesday afternoon at River View Field, earning a 9-1 run-rule victory in five innings before securing a 10-5 win in the second game.
Junior Olivia DeCitise (Troy, N.Y.) led the River Hawks in the circle across the two games, picking up both wins while combining for 15 strikeouts in 8.0 innings of work. At the plate, sophomore Thyanais Santiago (Methuen, Mass.) paced the offense with four hits and four RBI on the day, while freshman Ella Van Alstyne (Beacon Falls, Conn.) reached base consistently and scored multiple runs in both contests.
Game 1: UMass Lowell 9, Holy Cross 1 (5 inn.)
The River Hawks came out swinging in the opener, plating five runs in the first inning to take early control.
Van Alstyne sparked the rally with a leadoff double and later stole home, while Santiago added an RBI single to right center. Sophomore Madi Wade (Hagerstown, Md.) followed with a two-run home run, and sophomore Avery Spinello-Branch (Lorton, Va.) capped the inning with an RBI single to make it 5-0.
Holy Cross responded with a solo home run in the second, but that would be the only damage against DeCitise, who settled in and kept the Crusaders off balance the rest of the way.
UMass Lowell added insurance in the third and fourth innings, including an unearned run in the third and another in the fourth to extend the lead to 7-1.
In the fifth, freshman Caroline Calkins (Orting, Wash.) reached and came around to score on an RBI single from Spinello-Branch before Van Alstyne delivered the walk-off RBI single to seal the 9-1 run-rule victory.
DeCitise earned the complete-game win, allowing just three hits and one run while striking out eight.
Game 2: UMass Lowell 10, Holy Cross 5
The second game featured more back-and-forth action, but the River Hawks answered every challenge to complete the sweep.
UMass Lowell jumped in front early with three runs in the first inning, highlighted by a two-run single from Santiago and an RBI walk by senior Katelyn Fitzgerald (Ambler, Pa.).
After Holy Cross evened the score in the third, the River Hawks regained the lead in the bottom half when Fitzgerald laid down a sacrifice bunt to bring home the go-ahead run.
The Crusaders responded with a two-run home run in the fourth to take a 5-4 edge, but UMass Lowell quickly countered once again. Van Alstyne doubled and later scored on a Santiago RBI double to tie the game, and junior Emily Baumes (Rexford, N.Y.) delivered an RBI double in the fifth to give Lowell a 6-5 advantage.
The River Hawks broke the game open in the sixth, scoring four runs to create separation. With the bases loaded, Spinello-Branch ripped a three-run double to right center before Van Alstyne followed with an RBI single to extend the lead to 10-5.
DeCitise shut the door in relief, striking out seven over the final three innings to secure the win.
Santiago led the offense with three hits and three RBI, while Baumes added three hits and an RBI. Spinello-Branch also drove in three runs in the nightcap.
