CHARLESTON, S.C. – The UNCG softball team returned to action at the Charleston Challenge Saturday and blanked UMass-Lowell 6-0 before falling to host College of Charleston 7-2 in the nightcap. The Spartans move to 2-2 and will take on Marshall Sunday morning at 9 a.m. to close the weekend.

UNCG 6, UMass-Lowell 0 (Game One)

Junior RHP Nicole Thomas held UMass-Lowell without a hit through five and a third innings and UNCG posted its first shutout of the season in the 6-0 UNCG victory. Thomas (2-1) also struck out five batters in the contest and did not allow a runner to advance past second base.

The shutout was the first for the Blue and Gold since an 8-0, five-inning win over former Southern Conference rival Elon May 4 of last season.

Junior infielder Danielle Vega was a perfect 3-for-3 at the dish, notching a double and three RBI. Senior infielder Dominique Madruga and junior catcher Lindsay Thomas also had multi-hit efforts with two hits apiece. The two hitters each crossed the plate twice.

After both squads went down in order to begin the game, UNCG struck first in the bottom of the second. Vega singled to lead off the frame before Emily Lopez entered to pinch run. Lopez advanced to third on a groundout and scored when sophomore outfielder Kendall McKinney reached on an error at shortstop. A strikeout and lineout would allow the Riverhawks to escape the inning without any further damage.

The Spartans broke the game open in the bottom of the third, scoring three runs on three hits. Madruga and Lindsay Thomas singled through the right side with one out before they each moved up a base on a perfectly executed double steal. Nicole Thomas then walked to load the bases for Vega who crushed a ball to right center, driving in two runs. Sophomore infielder Tory Wright added a sac fly to leave the score at 4-0 after three complete.

A pair of RBI singles by Vega and Nicole Thomas put the game away in the bottom of the fifth as UNCG extended its advantage to 6-0. UMass-Lowell recorded three hits in the final two innings, but Thomas worked around them to preserve the shutout.

College of Charleston 7, UNCG 2

UNCG scored first and battled host College of Charleston through five innings, but the Cougars plated three runs in the bottom of the sixth to eventually pull away. Charleston was picked to finish second in the Colonial Athletic Association this season.

Wright was the lone Spartan who recorded more than one hit as she was 2-for-4 with a double. Madruga and McKinney were responsible for UNCG's two RBI in the game with one each. Nicole Thomas was saddled with the loss as she threw four and two-thirds innings, giving up four runs (two earned) with three strikeouts and two walks. She threw 11 and two-thirds innings in her two appearances on the day before giving way to junior RHP Danica Bishop in the fifth inning.

It was the Spartans who got on the board first in the top of the second, taking advantage of two Cougar errors. McKinney reached on a miscue at third with one out before redshirt freshman outfielder Sidney Grkman and senior outfielder Tatiana Alcala recorded consecutive singles to load the bases. After a fielder's choice accounted for the second out, Madruga reached on the second error of the frame, allowing pinch runner Alexis Overdiep to score. Lindsay Thomas had a chance to add to the scoring, but she lined out to second to terminate the UNCG threat.

College of Charleston took advantage of a Spartan error with two outs in the bottom of the third to tie the game at one. The mistake put a runner at second and a RBI single by the next batter knotted the score. The Cougars capitalized on another error by the Blue and Gold in the bottom of the fourth as runners were at second and third with two away. Nicole Thomas induced the ground ball she needed, but Wright could not complete the catch at first and Katie Padilla raced home safely.

Unfazed, the Spartans battled back in the top of the fifth and received a back-to-back doubles by Wright and McKinney with two outs to tie the contest at two. However, the Cougars piled up five hits in the bottom of the inning, scoring two runs to take the lead back at 4-2. Charleston added three runs off the UNCG bullpen in the final two frames to account for the final five-run margin. 

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