Moon Township, Pa. - Junior Jaci Timko (Houston, Pa. / Chartiers Houston) homered for the third and fourth consecutive games, leading a six-homer barrage for her team, as the Robert Morris University softball team swept a Northeast Conference (NEC) doubleheader on the road from in-state rival Saint Francis (Pa.) in divergent styles, 10-1 (5) and 6-5, to move into first place in the NEC Thursday afternoon at Red Flash Field.
With the victories, Robert Morris remained in the running to earn the top seed and host the upcoming NEC Tournament. Robert Morris, which has already earned its fourth consecutive trip to the tournament, can clinch the right to host by sweeping a doubleheader from Mount St. Mary's in its regular-season finales Sunday.
Timko had a team-high five hits on the day, including going 4-for-4 in the opener, as she drove in four runs, scored three times, stole a bag and put down a sacrifice. Senior Annie Dubovec (Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Kenston) also had an excellent offensive day as she went 4-for-5 with three walks, a homer, a team-high five runs scored and four RBI.
Senior Kayla Crooks (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Brashear) and a pair of freshman, Cassie Show (Connellsville, Pa. / Connellsville) and Chelsea Siar (Glenshaw, Pa. / Shaler Area), all went deep as the Colonials launched a trio of long balls in each game.
Junior Alexa Bryson (Greensburg, Pa. / Latrobe Area) earned both wins in the circle for RMU as she started Game One and came on in relief in the nightcap and allowed just four hits and two earned runs in seven and two-thirds innings of work.
RMU took control of the opener right from the outset as it plated a pair in the first. Junior Allie Patton (Poland, Ohio / Poland) led off with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice by redshirt junior Jessica Calderone (Wilmington, Del / St. Mark's). Dubovec followed with a walk before Timko singled to right, scoring Patton and sending the senior to third. Sophomore Maritza Jimenez (Vineland, N.J. / Vineland) then added another by connecting on a sacrifice fly to center as Dubovec came sliding home.
Saint Francis took advantage of a leadoff walk in the bottom half to get one run back, but Bryson got a popup to strand two runners.
Although RMU loaded the bases in the second, neither team would push any across. However, the Colonials soon added to their lead in the third when they scored three times.
Timko led off the inning with a homer to left center, and two outs later, Show drilled a two-run shot to center after Siar had extended the inning with a two-out single up the middle.
After Bryson retired the side in order in the home half, RMU tacked on two more in the fourth when Dubovec and Timko singled with one out, and Jimenez followed by drilling a double to left center to score both runners.
Bryson again set down the Red Flash 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fourth, and RMU put on the finishing offensive touch when Dubovec nailed a two-out, three-run blast to left center to give the visitors the final margin of victory.
Even though it never trailed in Game Two, the RMU faithful had slightly more apprehension as the contest came down to the wire.
RMU put two runners on in the first but could not take advantage although freshman Geena Badolato (Mt. Lebanon, Pa. / Mt. Lebanon) got three straight groundouts in the bottom half to keep the game scoreless.
Crooks started the second by doubling into the left field corner, just missing a home run, but she would score just one out later when Siar launched a very high drive to left that cleared the fence for a two-run shot.
Badolato worked around a Colonial miscue in the home half, which allowed RMU to double its lead in the third when Timko crushed a homer to right after Dubovec had singled with one out.
Saint Francis had three straight runners reach in the bottom of the third to plate its first run, but Badolato limited the damage by stranding two runners when she got each of the next two batters to hit the ball on the ground in the infield.
Each team went relatively quietly in the fourth, and Dubovec drew a walk in the fifth, but RMU could not advance her.
Back-to-back one-out singles brought the tying run to the plate for Saint Francis in the bottom of the fifth, and a three-run homer promptly knotted the game, 4-4. Robert Morris was able to keep the game deadlocked by getting the next two Red Flash hitters.
Crooks did not waste a moment to move the Colonials back on top as she drove her third-career homer down the left field line to put RMU on top, 5-4. Robert Morris would proceed to draw three walks in the frame, but Saint Francis was able to escape only trailing by one.
The Red Flash tied the game in the sixth without the benefit of a hit as a walk, a hit batter and an error made the score 5-5. With the go-ahead runner standing on third, Bryson came up big by getting a groundout to end the inning.
With extra innings looming as a possibility, Dubovec led off the seventh with a single into right center and moved to second courtesy of a sacrifice by Timko. After a groundout by Jimenez sent Dubovec to third, Crooks hit a fly ball to right that the Red Flash outfielder was unable to handle, allowing Dubovec to come home with the go-ahead run.
After Siar handled a groundout herself for the first out of the bottom half, Bryson fanned each of the final two hitters to finish off the victory.
Patton reached base five times combined and scored two runs while Siar was on base four times, scored twice and drove in two runs. Jimenez went 3-for-7 with three RBI and the sac fly, and Crooks added two extra-base hits.
The nightcap marked the fifth consecutive game in which the Colonials had at least one homer and the third straight contest in which they drilled multiple four-baggers--the first time an RMU offense achieved that feat since Apr. 7-12, 2008. The Colonials also collected consecutive three-homer games for the first time since Apr. 14-15, 2006.
Timko, the reigning NEC Player of the Week, became just the third Colonial in school history to hit the 20-homer plateau while Dubovec is now tied for fourth all-time in home runs with her assistant coach, Lauren Dickinson.
Timko's Game One performance (4-for-4), which occurred in her first-ever collegiate start as the cleanup hitter, marked the first time a Colonial collected four hits in a game since Apr. 4, 2009 when none other than Timko accomplished the feat in a home NEC game. The last RMU player to collect four hits in a road game was current assistant coach, Susan Perich, who tallied four base-knocks Apr. 27, 2008 at Fairleigh Dickinson.
Robert Morris only went down in order in one of the 12 innings in which it batted Thursday as it outhit the Red Flash, 19-9 overall.
The Colonials will conclude the regular season Sunday with a makeup of a postponed doubleheader as they host the Mountaineers. The first pitch of Game One is slated for 1:00 p.m.
