LOCATION: Bearcats Sports Complex - Vestal, N.Y.
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 25-16, 10-6 America East | UMBC 30-10, 12-6 America East | UMass Lowell 28-20, 10-7 America East
 
SHORT STORY: The Great Danes saw their first loss of the tournament to UMBC in the morning but continued to defeat UMass Lowell in the evening elimination game, Friday.
 
GAME ONE
 
SCORE: UMBC 1, UAlbany 0
 
KEY STATS

• Juniors Emma Adams and Morgan Petty tallied the Great Danes' sole hits. 
• Petty notched a double.
• Junior Wendi Hammond pitched five strikeouts in five innings of play.
• A defense at work, Petty and senior Alexis Phillips each made two big catches in the outfield to hold UMBC runners off the base path.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• In a defensive game, Emma Adams grabbed the first hit for UAlbany to open the third inning. 
• In the bottom of the third, Wendi Hammond tallied two strikeouts while redshirt-senior Briana Garrett and graduate student Katie Falotico teamed up to close the inning.
• Morgan Petty knocked a double to left field while senior Maranda Jimenez drew a walk to put two runners on base in the top of the fourth. The Retrievers were able to hold off the Great Dane runners and hold the score at zero.
• Once again, the UAlbany defense tallied three straight outs to close the fourth inning.
• After leaving a UMBC runner on third in the fifth, the Retrievers took a 1-0 lead in the sixth with a solo homer.
• The Great Danes were successful at holding off any more runs from UMBC but were unable to tie the score in the seventh.

 
GAME TWO
 
SCORE: UAlbany 5, UMass Lowell 3
 
KEY STATS

• Katie Falotico and junior Maddi Petrella led the team with two hits and two RBI each.
• Falotico and Petrella each tallied a multi-base hit. Falotico grabbed a double while Petrella notched a home run.
• Maranda Jimenez added an RBI with a sac fly.
• Alexis Phillips did not record an at-bat despite three turns at the plate. The senior drew two walks and was hit by the pitch to lead the team with two runs.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Leaving two River Hawks on base in the top of the first, the Great tallied the first hit and first run of the game in the bottom of the first.
• After being hit by a pitch, Alexis Phillips crossed home during Katie Falotico's double in the first.
• The second and third innings proved defensive, with the UAlbany defense tallying three-straight outs in the third.
• After a second three-up, three-down inning from the Great Dane defense, Maranda Jimenez hit a single to center field to get on base in the bottom of the fourth. 
• Maddi Petrella followed with the lone UAlbany home run of the day to extend UAlbany's lead to 3-0 at the close of the fourth.
• On just the second pitch of the fifth inning, Emma Adams notched her fourth hit of the tournament.
• Phillips and Petty loaded the bases before Jimenez sent the ball deep into left field to drive in a run with a sacrifice fly.
• Falotico added to the lead with a single to left field and an RBI.
• Entering the sixth inning with a 5-0 advantage, UMass Lowell closed the lead with three runs in the top of the sixth but redshirt-freshman worked to get a strikeout and a catch a line drive with the bases loaded to halt any further runs.
• Closing out the game in true UAlbany fashion, Briana Garret, senior Lové Drumgole, and Falotico combined for a double play before Adams, Falotico and Garrett worked as a team for the final out of the win.

 
NEXT: The Great Danes will compete in the America East Championship game tomorrow, Saturday, May 13, at 11 am. Should the Great Danes win, a second game will be played to determine the 2022 America East Champion.

For more information on the University at Albany softball team, follow the squad's official social media accounts shown below.
Twitter - @ualbanysb
Instagram - @ualbanysb