How It Happened
Rhode Island (5-15, 1-4 Atlantic 10) dropped both ends of a conference doubleheader against Massachusetts Sunday. The Rams fell 8-7 in a 10-inning marathon before losing the second contest, 8-2.

Game 1 – Massachusetts 8, Rhode Island 7 (10 inn.)
Rhode Island staged a furious rally in the opener, coming back from as many as five runs down to force extra innings. URI trailed 6-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning. A two-run homer from Rachel Zingerman cut the deficit to three runs and gave the Rams life.

Both teams scored a run in the sixth inning, as Rhode Island trailed 7-4 with three outs to go. Skyler Rapuano led off with a single and Zingerman reached on an infield error to get the tying run to the plate. With one out, Ari Castillo lined a home run over the left field fence to tie the score.

In the bottom of the eighth, URI had runners on the corners with one out, but were unable to get the winning run in. An inning later, the Rams loaded the bases with two outs, but again came up empty.

UMass (7-14, 2-0 A-10) got the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th when Paige Suggs scored on a two-out, infield single by Abby Lamson. In the bottom of the inning, Rhode Island again got a runner in scoring position when Castillo singled and advanced on an error. However, a groundout ended the game.

Game 2 – Massachusetts 8, Rhode Island 2
Massachusetts broke open a close game with a five-run fifth inning. The Minutewomen scored four times after two outs had been recorded, getting five hits in the frame. Rhode Island was finally able to break through with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on an infield RBI single from Cassie Swenson and a fielder's choice grounder by Gabi Lopez that drove in Vicki Viaclovski. It wasn't enough to get the Rams back in it, as UMass held on for the doubleheader sweep.

Inside the Box Scores

• There were 49 hits combined for the two teams in the doubleheader.
• Rhode Island's 18 hits in the first game were a season high.
• The 10-inning game in the opener was URI's longest since an 11-inning loss at George Mason on March 25, 2018.
• Juniors Cassie Swenson and Rachel Zingerman both had four hits on the day. Swenson was 4-for-7 with a double, one RBI and one run scored. Zingerman was 4-for-9 with a home run, double, three runs scored and two RBI..
• Zingerman and senior Ari Castillo each had a home run in the first game, the first time this year Rhody has gone deep twice in one contest.
• Castillo and fellow senior Sami Villarreal both had three hits on the day.
• Sophomore Margaux Lesser had a single in the second game.
• Rhode Island had hits from 10 different players.
• Junior Cece Sidley gave the Rams 2.0 innings of solid relief in the second game, allowing no earned runs.
• The Rams had a stolen base in each game and are now 22-of-25 as a team through 20 games. URI has at least one stolen base in eight of the last games.
• The last time URI averaged more than a stolen base per game was 2013, when it has 48 steals in 47 games.

What's Next
Rhode Island hosts Providence in a single non-conference game on Tuesday, March 20. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. on ESPN+.