Moon Township, Pa. - After playing its first 26 games away from home, the Robert Morris University softball team certainly provided its fans with plenty to cheer about in its home openers Wednesday afternoon as the Colonials swept a doubleheader from Cleveland State, 7-5 and 10-9, in non-conference action at the North Athletic Complex.
With the two victories, RMU has now won 10 of its last 11 games for the first time since 2005.
One of the many highlights of the day for Robert Morris came in the opener when five distinct Colonials homered, including three registering back-to-back-to-back long balls in the second inning. Amazingly, the last time RMU had three student-athletes go back-to-back-to-back was March 28, 2006--exactly six years ago--and it was also during the home opener against Cleveland State. The Colonials' most recent five-homer game before Wednesday also occurred in 2006.
RMU followed that effort up with 10 runs on 10 hits in Game Two to tally a double-digit hit total for the eighth time in its past nine games. The Colonials have also scored at least seven runs in seven of their past eight contests.
RMU's Game One performance also marked its first 15-hit game since 2008 and its first contest with at least seven extra base-hits since 2007.
Senior Sarah Capp (McKees Rocks, Pa. / Montour) was one of the primary offensive leaders Wednesday as she went 5-for-7 with a homer, two doubles, a walk, three RBI and two runs scored. Capp went a perfect 4-for-4 in the opener to become just the fifth Colonial ever to register multiple four-hit games in a career. The performance from Capp marked the 20th overall time a Colonial has posted four hits in a game and just the second time ever that any two Colonials have pulled off the feat twice in one week as redshirt senior Jessica Calderone (Wilmington, Del. / St. Mark's) was 4-for-4 last Saturday.
Capp's sixth multi-hit game of the season and the 22nd of her career pushed her career hit total to 99 entering the weekend. She has also homered on four of the past five days on which RMU has played and now has 17 multi-RBI games in her career.
Freshman Samantha Santillo (Ellwood City, Pa. / Lincoln), the reigning Northeast Conference (NEC) Player of the Week, joined Capp in going 5-for-7 and added a homer, a double, a walk, four RBI and two runs scored. Santillo, who homered in her third straight game, has now tallied five-consecutive multi-hit games while notching at least one RBI in each of those contests. Santillo notched her second three-hit game in the opener and her second three-RBI game in the nightcap. She now has seven multi-hit games and five multi-RBI games for the season.
Sophomore Chelsea Siar (Glenshaw, Pa. / Shaler Area) was 4-for-8 over the two games while jacking her eighth-career homer in the opener. Siar, who scored three runs on the day, registered the second three-hit game of her career in the nightcap.
Freshman Tess Apke (Mt. Lebanon, Pa. / Mt. Lebanon) and sophomore Cassie Show (Connellsville, Pa. / Connellsville) had nearly identical stat lines as both had three hits, a homer, a double, a walk and two runs scored on the day. The former had four RBI while the latter notched two.
Apke collected the first multi-hit game of her season in the opener and also tallied the first two multi-RBI games of her career. Show's sixth-career homer helped her earn the ninth multi-hit game of her career.
With Robert Morris trailing 1-0 in the opener entering the bottom of the second, the hosts electrified the Colonial faithful by having three consecutive batters go deep. Santillo, Show and Siar all homered to start the inning, which gave RMU a 3-1 advantage.
Cleveland State responded right back with three of its own in the top of the third as they used three hits and a walk to retake the lead.
RMU surged back ahead in the fourth when junior Maritza Jimenez (Vineland, N.J. / Vineland) worked an eight-pitch walk to open the inning and Apke followed by belting the ninth pitch of her AB over the center field fence to put RMU ahead, 5-4. Robert Morris wasn't done in that half inning, though, as sophomore Chelsea Evans (Beaver Falls, Pa. / Riverside) doubled down the left field line with two outs and came around to score on a single by Capp.
Capp homered to center on a 2-1 pitch to open the sixth and complete RMU's scoring. The Vikings would get a single run in the seventh, but Apke would make a nice catch in right to seal the two-run victory.
Sophomore Geena Badolato (Mt. Lebanon, Pa. / Mt. Lebanon) claimed the win in the circle as she allowed four earned runs while tossing all seven frames.
The Colonials would build a sizeable lead in the nightcap only to see Cleveland State rally and fight to the finish.
The Vikings used a solo homer to take an early lead in the first, but RMU answered in a big way in the bottom half as it had five runners cross the plate.
After Calderone was hit by a pitch and Evans put down a sacrifice, Capp, Santillo and Show all roped opposite-field doubles to make it 3-1. Siar then legged out an infield single and, after a second out, Apke blasted a double to right center that scored two more.
Neither side scored in the next three half-innings, but RMU broke it open by scoring four more times in the third. Siar singled through the right side and junior Britta Grafton (Jamestown, Pa. / Jamestown) worked a nine-pitch walk to put two aboard. After the Vikings recorded two outs, Jimenez was hit by a pitch, and then Evans sent a two-run single to right center. Capp then walked to reload the bases, and Santillo promptly singled down the right field line to tack on another pair of runs.
Cleveland State got its second run on a sacrifice fly in the fourth, but RMU put up its own tally in the bottom half when Jimenez singled in Siar with two outs.
The Vikings began their comeback in the fifth as they used five hits, including two homers, to make it a three-run game. Each of the next three half-innings were of the 1-2-3 variety, which allowed Cleveland State one more chance to draw even.
A walk and a two-run homer with two outs tightened the proceedings in the seventh, but Evans squeezed the final out in left to clinch the sweep for RMU.
Freshman Nicole Sleith (Smithton, Pa. / Yough) won her sixth straight start in the nightcap as she allowed just three hits in 5.2 innings while recording a team season-high 11 strikeouts against just one walk.
Evans notched her first multi-RBI game of the season in the nightcap.
While Capp was producing brilliantly at the dish, she also managed to break an all-time defensive record in Game One. Capp, who has a .995 career fielding percentage, broke Robert Morris' career record for putouts as she now has 845 during the course of her four years.
After opening its home schedule with two positive results, Robert Morris will look to produce more victories this weekend as it opens the home portion of its NEC slate with doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday. The Colonials will next be in action Saturday, March 31, as they host Monmouth at 1:00 p.m.
