Moon Township, Pa. - The Robert Morris University softball team fell to 14-20 overall and 7-9 in the Northeast Conference Monday afternoon, after being swept by Long Island (30-19 / 16-2 NEC), Monday afternoon at the North Athletic Complex.
Long Island opened game one with a four-run first inning, after a pair of singles to begin the game by Randi Gillespie and Brittany Murphy. Gillespie would score after a Raylene Asman single to left field. The next batter, Jessie DePippo, would clear the bases with a three-run home run giving LIU a 4-0 lead midway through the first inning.
The Colonials would get on the board in the second inning, before tying the game in the third inning. Jill Dorsch (Sewickley, Pa. / North Allegheny) led off the second inning with a single to right field, which was followed by a Susan Perich (Center, Pa. / Center) single to right field. Junior Camille Kline (Titusville, Pa. / Titusville) would then hit her third home run, a three-run shot, of the season, making the score, 4-3, through two innings. Dorsch would score again in the fourth inning after reaching base on a fielder's choice, pitcher Danielle Cohen (Marlton, N.J. / Cherokee) tallied the RBI with a single to right field.
Neither team scored until the sixth inning when the Blackbirds opened the flood gates, scoring seven runs in the sixth inning and eight runs in the seventh inning. The Colonials only managed three-runs during that span, when Lauren Nisivoccia (Nutley, N.J. / Mount St. Dominic) drove in Jill Spargo (Warren, Pa. / Warren) in the sixth inning and Brenna Reed (Carnegie, Pa. / Montour) drove in the other two runs with a single in the seventh. Making the final score of game one, 19-7.
Cohen took the loss in game one, pitching 5 innings, allowing eight runs on 14 hits, while striking out six batters.
The Colonials looked to get back on track in game two, scoring the games first run in the first inning, when Brooke Panepinto (Belle Vernon, Pa. / Belle Vernon) singled with to outs to left field, before stealing second base. Ashlee Smith (Mechanicsville, Va. / Lee-Davis) would drive her in with a single to right field, making the score 1-0 through one inning.
The Colonials would not manage another run in the game, while LIU took the lead for good in the fifth inning scoring three runs, making the score 4-1. LIU would also add on two-runs in the sixth and one more in the seventh, making the final score of game two, 7-1.
Stacy Davidson (Akron, Ohio / Springfield) was recorded with the loss in game two, pitching 5.1 innings allowing six runs on 16 hits and striking out five batters.
The Colonials return to action on Tuesday, May 1 when they travel to Cleveland State, before returning home for the home finale on May 3 as they host Pittsburgh.
