{"id":25976,"date":"2018-06-09T07:00:28","date_gmt":"2018-06-09T11:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.ngscsports.com\/?p=25976"},"modified":"2020-08-20T11:53:07","modified_gmt":"2020-08-20T15:53:07","slug":"river-hawks-make-statement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ngscsports.com\/2018\/06\/09\/river-hawks-make-statement\/","title":{"rendered":"River Hawks Make Statement in First Year of D1 Eligibility"},"content":{"rendered":"
LOWELL, Mass. \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>In 2018, the UMass Lowell softball team set out to make a statement in its first year of full Division I eligibility.<\/p>\n For the second consecutive year, the River Hawks took second place in the final America East regular-season standings with a 12-5 record in league games. Not only did the team match a Division I program best for conference wins, but for overall wins, as well, with a 21-28 mark in 2018 with a schedule that featured six NCAA Tournament qualifiers.<\/p>\n “I think finishing in second place for the second straight year shows that it wasn’t a fluke and this team is here to stay,” said Head Coach\u00a0Danielle Henderson<\/a><\/dfn>. “This is who our team is. We are going to fight and show a lot of poise, and I do think we have made a name for ourselves in this league.”<\/p>\n The team took full advantage of its first year of post-season eligibility at the Division I level, making noise at the America East Championship and battling right to the very end.<\/p>\n The No. 2 seeded River Hawks opened the conference tournament with a 5-1 victory against No. 3 Stony Brook on May 10, becoming the first women’s team at UMass Lowell to earn a Division I post-season win. The squad then rallied for five runs in the eighth inning to upset No. 1 UAlbany, 5-2, in the winners’ bracket final the following afternoon and take a spot in the title game.<\/p>\n