Moon Township, Pa. - Junior Alexa Bryson (Greensburg, Pa. / Latrobe Area) threw her second-career postseason shutout, allowing just two hits, to lead the Robert Morris University softball team to a 1-0 victory over Central Connecticut State in the first round of Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament Friday morning at the North Athletic Complex.
Robert Morris' scheduled winners' bracket game against Sacred Heart was postponed until Saturday, May 14, at 9:30 a.m. due to a rain delay in another tournament game later Friday afternoon.
Bryson twirled a gem against the Blue Devils as she registered her second straight shutout, allowing just two hits and no walks while compiling a career postseason-high 11 strikeouts. She continued her recent run of dominance--in her last six starts, she is 5-0 with a 0.90 ERA as she has yielded just five earned runs in 39 innings while posting 46 strikeouts against just two walks.
A trio of Colonials, redshirt junior Jessica Calderone (Wilmington, Del / St. Mark's) and seniors Kayla Crooks (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Brashear) and Annie Dubovec (Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Kenston), all notched multi-hit games for RMU with Dubovec collecting the game's only RBI.
After Bryson retired the side in order in the first with a pair of K's, Robert Morris grabbed the only run it would need in the bottom half.
Junior Allie Patton (Poland, Ohio / Poland) opened the frame with a single and advanced to second on a throwing error. Patton moved to third base on a passed ball and soon came home to score when Dubovec drilled a lined single that deflected off the diving first baseman's glove. Junior Jaci Timko (Houston, Pa. / Chartiers Houston) forced Dubovec with a groundout and then swiped second to give the Colonials a runner in scoring position, but RMU was unable to add to its lead.
The Blue Devils started the second with an infield single and advanced their runner to second on a groundout, but Bryson then took control. She struck out each of the next two batters to end the threat, with the final out coming after an eight-pitch battle.
Bryson struck out two more in the third before RMU looked to tack on a few runs. Calderone and Dubovec started the inning with consecutive singles, but a fly out and a pair of full-count strikeouts allowed Central Connecticut State to escape the frame unscathed.
The visitors had their best chance in the fourth when a Blue Devil drove the ball to deep center to lead off the frame and reached second on the play. A sacrifice bunt moved the runner to third with one out, but Bryson was again up to the task, getting a strikeout and a popup on the infield to maintain the RMU lead.
Each squad put a single runner on base in the next three half-innings, but neither team could plate a runner.
Bryson did not wear down at all in the closing innings as she retired each of the final eight batters, four by way of the 'K', to give Robert Morris the playoff victory, finishing the performance fittingly with a swinging strikeout.
The junior let just three balls out of the infield all day and notched at least one strikeout in every inning to improve her RMU all-time best winning percentage mark to .667.
Dubovec is now 13-of-27 in her career against the Blue Devils and has now reached base safely via a base hit or walk in 14 of her last 16 plate appearances overall. She has a team-high and career-best 16 multi-hit games.
The Colonials are set to play the Pioneers in Saturday's opening game. The remainder of the tournament schedule is still intact, albeit at delayed times.
