Moon Township, Pa. - The Robert Morris University softball team split with Northeast Conference opponent Wagner Sunday afternoon after a six run seventh inning in game two fell one run short of pushing the game to extra innings. The Colonials defeated the Seahawks, 3-2, in game one before falling, 11-10, in game two. The Colonials record now stands at 14-17 overall and 7-7 in NEC action.
Game one began with both teams scoring one run in the first inning. Katie Stevens hit a double down the right field line scoring Kate Eshelman who reached base on a fielders choice. The Colonials run came by way of the first of two solo home runs by Brooke Panepinto (Belle Vernon, Pa. / Belle Vernon). Both teams were then held scoreless until the fifth inning. That was when with the bases loaded and two outs, RMU pitcher Danielle Cohen (Marlton, N.J. / Cherokee) walked Joy Gallagher allowing Katie Stevens to score for the Seahawks, giving them a 2-1 lead.
The Colonials answered back in their half of the fifth with back-to-back home runs by Panepinto and Ashlee Smith (Mechanicsville, Va. / Lee-Davis). Both home runs were solo home runs giving RMU a 3-2 lead. Cohen then when on to pitch two scoreless innings recording her fifth victory of the season. She finished with five strikeouts, while pitching seven innings, giving up only two runs on five hits.
Both teams started out game two quickly combining for seven runs in the first inning. The Colonials scored three of those runs, by way of a Smith RBI single, scoring Jill Spargo (Warren, Pa. / Warren) and a two run home run by Jill Dorsch (Sewickley, Pa. / North Allegheny).
The Colonials would tie the game at four in the fourth inning, when Spargo doubled to right center field, scoring Brenna Reed (Carnegie, Pa. / Montour). Wagner however would score runs in the fifth, six and seventh innings, taking an, 11-4 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
RMU would not go away as they scored six runs in the seventh inning falling one run short. Panepinto started the inning with a single and would later advance to third by way of a Smith double. Julie Stampfle (Allison Park, Pa. / Shaler) pinch ran for Smith. Panepinto and Stampfle would both score, with Dorsch and Susan Perich (Center, Pa. / Center) picking up the RBI. Cohen would double after Camille Kline (Titusville, Pa. / Titusville) reached on an error scoring both Kline and Perich. Cohen then would score on a Megan Picinic (Cliffside Park, N.J. / Immaculate Heart) single to left center field, Spargo then followed that up with a single but was later caught in a run down between second and third base before being tagged out for the final out of the game. Picinic scored while Spargo was in the run down making the final score, 11-10.
Reed took the loss in game two, falling to 9-8 on the season. She pitched 4.1 innings, while allowing eight runs on four hits and four walks. Eshelman received the victory in game two, pitching 6.2 innings allowing nine runs on 14 hits.
