Moon Township, Pa. - After winning its first-round Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament game Friday, the Robert Morris University softball team was unable to maintain its momentum Saturday as it dropped a pair of games, falling to Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac, 7-3 and 4-3, to conclude its 2011 season.
In spite of the defeats, junior Allie Patton (Poland, Ohio / Poland) became just the second Colonial in program history to record four hits in a postseason game as she was a perfect 4-for-4 against the Bobcats with a double and a RBI. Patton finished her outstanding offensive season with a .382 average, a figure which ranks eighth in single-season school history, and a .418 on-base percentage.
Patton and fellow classmate Alexa Bryson (Greensburg, Pa. / Latrobe Area) were both named to the NEC's All-Tournament Team. The former went 6-for-11 in tournament action while the latter threw a two-hit shutout in RMU's opening tournament game and struck out 18 batters, against just two walks, in 18 innings pitched in the postseason.
In its winners' bracket game against Sacred Heart, RMU sent down the Pioneers in order in the first before getting a runner into scoring position in the bottom half. Redshirt junior Jessica Calderone (Wilmington, Del / St. Mark's) singled up the middle with one out and advanced to second on a groundout but was stranded after a flyout ended the inning.
Sacred Heart broke the game open in the second by scoring four times, plating the runs on a fielder's choice, a base hit, a squeeze bunt and a Colonial miscue.
After freshman Chelsea Siar (Glenshaw, Pa. / Shaler Area) worked a one-out walk in the home half, heavy rain halted play for 3:30. Once the game resumed in mid-afternoon, RMU got one run back when freshman Chelsea Evans (Beaver Falls, Pa. / Riverside) punched a RBI single into right, scoring Siar, who had advanced to second when senior Kayla Crooks (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Brashear) was hit by a pitch. The Pioneers ended the inning, though, leaving two Colonial runners aboard with a fine diving catch by their left fielder.
Sacred Heart got one run back in the third with a pair of singles sandwiched around a groundout, but Robert Morris responded in the bottom half.
Calderone led off with a single and soon scooted to second on a wild pitch. Senior Annie Dubovec (Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Kenston) then hit a high, bounding ball that found its way into center, scoring Calderone. One out later, sophomore Maritza Jimenez (Vineland, N.J. / Vineland) singled into left, putting two on with one away, but a strikeout and a flyout ended the third.
After a relatively quiet fourth, Bryson was brilliant in the fifth as she recorded consecutive strikeouts with the bases loaded to end the inning and keep the Colonials within striking distance.
A Sacred Heart error started the bottom half which was followed by an opposite-field single by Dubovec. One out later, Jimenez walked to load the bases. A Pioneer wild pitch then advanced each runner, cutting the deficit to two runs, and putting the tying runs in scoring position with one out, but a pair of groundouts ended the threat.
The Pioneers tacked on two runs in the sixth to set the final margin as Robert Morris could not generate enough offensively in the closing innings to mount a comeback.
Immediately following the defeat, RMU had to turn right back around and face a fresh Quinnipiac squad with each team's season on the line.
The Bobcats put a runner on second with one out in the opening inning, but Robert Morris was able to work its way out of the frame with no damage. Patton singled into right to start the bottom half, but was erased on an inning-ending double play.
Quinnipiac opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the second with three consecutive one-out hits followed by a Colonial miscue. The Colonials stopped the bleeding with a fabulous defensive play from Crooks, who fired a bullet down to Jimenez for the rare third-base pickoff.
RMU came storming right back as junior Jaci Timko (Houston, Pa. / Chartiers Houston) singled to lead off the frame. Jimenez was then hit by a pitch and Siar worked an eight-pitch walk to load the bases. Freshman Cassie Show (Connellsville, Pa. / Connellsville) then drilled a ball down the right field line for a two-run double, tying the game. One out later, Patton singled into the hole at shortstop to give Robert Morris a 3-2 lead. The Bobcats were able to get out of the inning only down by one, though, as a groundout stranded three Colonials.
Robert Morris had a runner reach second base in both the third and fourth but could not add any insurance runs.
The Bobcats used a RMU miscue to put a runner on second in the fifth, but Quinnipiac would not advance her any further along.
Dubovec singled into left to open the home fifth and advanced to second courtesy of a sacrifice by Timko. With two outs, Siar singled up the middle, and Dubovec was thrown out at home by the center fielder on a close play.
Quinnipiac would tie the game and take the lead with two swings in the sixth as a pair of solo homers flipped the roles of the two teams.
After going down in order in the sixth, RMU had one final chance in the seventh when Patton singled to left to open the inning, but the Bobcats were able to put out each of the next three hitters to close the curtain on the Colonials' season.
Siar topped Robert Morris' previous single-season record for putouts as she collected 349 in her rookie campaign.
The end of the 2011 season brought the careers of two Colonials, Crooks and Dubovec, to a close. The duo qualified for the NEC Tournament in each of their four years and never was part of a losing season. Crooks finished tied for eighth in RMU history in games played with 176 while seeing time at eight distinct defensive positions. The local product also had a career .411 on-base percentage in league play. Dubovec finished her four years ranked among the top five all-time at Robert Morris in batting average (.338, T-5th), home runs (17, T-4th) and RBI (91, T-4th). She was a three-time all-conference selection who hit at least .350 and had a slugging percentage of .510 or better in three of her four years as a Colonial.
