Moon Township, Pa. – On a sunny afternoon, the Robert Morris University softball team met the Kent State Golden Flashes for a twin bill at the North Athletic Complex.  After struggling in the first contest, RMU rebounded to defeat Kent State, 8-5.

In game one, the Colonials were simply unable to shut down the hard-hitting Golden Flash offense.  Kent State put six runs in the top of the first, three in the second and a final two in the top half third as they cruised to an 11-0 victory in just five innings.

However, Robert Morris refused to give up.  The Colonials quickly got to work as their bats came alive early in the contest. 

To start the scoring in the second inning, third baseman Susan Perich (Center, Pa. / Center) snuck to first on a KSU error.  After advancing thanks to a pass ball, Perich scored from second as fellow senior Kristin McDaniel (Yardley, Pa. / Pennsbury) ripped a shot up the middle for an RBI.  Sophomore Annie Dubovec (Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Kenston) followed up by taking one deep into left field for a 3-0 lead.

Kent State scored their first of the second game in the top of third to make the score 3-1 still in favor of Robert Morris.

In the bottom of the third, freshman Allie Patton (Poland, Ohio / Poland) singled up the middle to get RMU rolling once again.  Perich then notched a base hit to advance Patton to third.  The Colonials then successfully pulled off a double steal attempt to push Perich to second and bring Patton home.

The inning continued as Sarah Capp (McKees Rocks, Pa. / Montour) reached on an error by the pitcher.  With runners at first and third, McDaniel singled to left for her second RBI of the game.  At the end of three, RMU held a 5-1 advantage.

Kent State would go on to add their second run in the top of the fourth, but Robert Morris continued their scoring trend. With base hits from Kayla Crooks (Pittsbugh, Pa. / Brashear) and Jaci Timko (Houston, Pa. / Chartiers-Houston), the Colonials managed two more runs as they extended the lead to 7-2 in the bottom of the fourth.

The Golden Flashes tacked on another two in the fifth and one in the six, but solid Colonial pitching managed to hold out for the, 8-5, RMU win.

Dubovec picked up her fifth win of the season in the second half the double header.  She improved her record to 5-4 while Alexa Bryson (Greensburg, Pa. / Greater Latrobe) recorded her first save of the year.

The Colonials will host two NEC opponents this weekend at the North Athletic Complex.  Fairleigh Dickinson will visit on Saturday for a pair starting at 1:00 p.m.  On Sunday, NEC action will continue against Sacred Heart at noon.