LOWELL, Mass. – The University of Maine softball team fell in extra innings to UMass Lowell in the America East opener on Friday afternoon at River View Field.
 
The River Hawks loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth and walked it off for a 12-11 win.

The two conference foes will meet for a doubleheader tomorrow, beginning at 1 p.m. at River View Field.
 
Game 25
Score: UMass Lowell 12, Maine 11 (8)
Stadium: River View Field 
How it Happened

• Maine took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third when Francesca Guerrera's double to left center brought around Maggie Helms.
• The Black Bears then hit three solo shots around a few UMass Lowell runs … Kaelyn Larkin then led off the fourth with her first career home run … after Guerrera sent one over the fence in the fifth for a 4-0 lead, the hosts responded with three runs in bottom half.
• In the top of the sixth, Maine exploded for seven runs … Larkin sent her second long ball of the day to center for a 5-3 lead, Keira Inman scored on a wild pitch and Morgan Pool earned an RBI walk for a 7-3 lead … a Guerrera double made it 10-3 before an Annika Shearer sacrifice fly drove in Guerrera for an 11-3 lead.
• In the bottom of the sixth, UMass Lowell pushed three runs across … the River Hawks followed it up with a five-run seventh inning to force extra innings.
• UMass Lowell loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth and won the game on an infield single.

Game Notes

• Maine is now 19-20 in the all-time series with UMass Lowell.
• Alysen Rieth started and threw 5.1 total innings … Ava Zettlemoyer (0.2) and Hannah Hipwell (1.2) appeared in relief.
• Francesca Guerrera was 3-for-5 with two doubles and a home run … she had five RBI and two runs scored.
• Kaelyn Larkin was 2-for-4 with two home runs.
• Maggie Helms recorded two hits for her first career multi-hit game.
• Morgan Pool earned three walks and scored two runs.

 
Up Next

• Maine and UML are scheduled to play a doubleheader tomorrow, Saturday, March 21, to close out the weekend.
• The Black Bears will play a non-conference doubleheader at Stonehill on Wednesday, March 25 before returning home for the home-opening series against Binghamton March 28-29.