Emmitsburg, Md. - Sophomore Geena Badolato (Mt. Lebanon, Pa. / Mt. Lebanon) and freshman Nicole Sleith (Smithton, Pa. / Yough) of the Robert Morris University softball team combined to throw a no-hitter in the opener of a Northeast Conference (NEC) doubleheader to help the Colonials to a sweep of host Mount St. Mary's Sunday afternoon at Meadows Field.
RMU took the opener, 12-0 in five innings, before completing the day with an 8-1 victory.
Badolato and Sleith's effort marked the 12th no-hitter in Colonial history and the second one of the combined variety. They also did not walk a single batter as the only two runners reached on an error and a hit by pitch. After giving up just one run Sunday, the duo has now conceded just one earned run in the past 29 innings it has pitched.
While Badolato and Sleith were busy keeping the Mountaineers' bats quiet in the opener, the Colonials were mashing out plenty of hits. RMU nailed 17 hits in just five frames in the opener, marking its highest hit total in its past 193 games. Each of the nine Colonials that started in the lineup had at least one hit as six distinct individuals posted multi-hit games and five notched multi-RBI efforts.
Senior Sarah Capp (McKees Rocks, Pa. / Montour) led the way offensively as she went a combined 5-for-8 with a double, a steal and four RBI. Capp actually posted her better performance in the nightcap as she went 3-for-4 with all four runs driven in. Capp's second-career game with at least four RBI moved her into a tie for fourth in single-season RBI at Robert Morris (36) and into ninth place in career RBI (78). She picked up her 10th and 11th multi-hit games of the season and the 26th and 27th of her career while notching her fifth career three-hit outing in Game Two.
Freshman Samantha Santillo (Ellwood City, Pa. / Lincoln) went 3-for-8 at the plate with a homer and four RBI as she blasted the fifth long ball of her rookie campaign. Santillo notched her ninth multi-hit game of the season in the opener and claimed her seventh and eighth multi-RBI outings of the season.
Santillo's homer in the nightcap also helped RMU extend a significant offensive streak. The Colonials have now drilled at least one extra-base hit in 24 consecutive games, their longest such stretch in over eight years.
Sophomore Cassie Show (Connellsville, Pa. / Connellsville) went 3-for-5 on the afternoon with a walk, a hit by pitch and a sacrifice fly and posted four runs scored and two RBI. Show collected her third three-hit game in NEC play this season in the opener, which doubled as her 11th career multi-hit game.
Sophomore Chelsea Siar (Glenshaw, Pa. / Shaler Area) was a combined 3-for-6 on the day with a double, two walks and two runs scored. Siar registered her ninth multi-hit game of the season and the 18th of her career in the opener.
Junior Britta Grafton (Jamestown, Pa. / Jamestown) was 3-for-3 in the opener with two RBI and a run scored to record the 18th multi-hit game and the first three-hit game of her career. It marked her fourth multi-RBI game of the season and the 12th of her career.
RMU had one runner on in the first and two in the second, but it could not crack through in either frame. Sleith sent down all six hitters she faced over this time frame, including getting four strikeouts.
The Colonials broke through in a big way in the third as they scored seven runs with two outs as seven consecutive batters reached. Show singled to start the frame, and two outs later, senior Jaci Timko (Houston, Pa. / Chartiers Houston) blasted a homer over the left-center fence. Santillo got the rally restarted with a single and Siar followed with a walk. Freshman Tess Apke (Mt. Lebanon, Pa. / Mt. Lebanon) and Grafton both delivered run-scoring singles before senior Katrina Gallagher (Canonsburg, Pa. / Canon McMillan) roped a two-run double to left. Show would then knock her second hit of the inning, which plated Gallagher.
Mount St. Mary's had runners at second and third with one out in the home half, but Badolato escaped the frame unscathed.
A Capp double, a Timko walk, an Apke double and a Grafton single brought home three more runs in the fourth.
RMU got two more in the fifth when Show singled and redshirt senior Jessica Calderone (Wilmington, Del. / St. Mark's) doubled to open the inning, and both came around to score when Santillo singled.
Badolato retired each of the final eight hitters to close out the run-rule affair. RMU scored all 12 of its runs with two outs in the opener.
Apke posted her fifth multi-hit game and the fifth multi-RBI game of the season although it was her first three-RBI outing of 2012.
Timko blasted the 24th homer of her career to move into a tie for sixth in career RBI (85). It was her fourth multi-RBI game of the season and the 19th of her career.
RMU couldn't quite match its great output from the opener, but it still had plenty of offense in the nightcap.
Show worked an eight-pitch walk to open the game, moved to second on a sacrifice by Calderone and came around to score on a single by Capp.
Mount evened the game in the bottom half on two singles and an error, but Sleith limited the damage by notching a strikeout to leave a runner on base.
Siar and Grafton walked in the second and Gallagher loaded the bases when she put down a bunt single. Show brought home the go-ahead run with a sac fly to deep left.
Sleith worked around a leadoff walk in the second, and each of the next three half-innings were of the 1-2-3 variety.
Santillo gunned down to second to catch a runner stealing and end the fourth after Sleith got the first two outs via strikeout.
RMU broke it open in the fifth by scoring four times. Gallagher walked, Calderone put down a bunt and reached on an error and Capp followed with a RBI single. Santillo then launched a two-run blast to left to make it 6-1.
The Colonials added two more in the sixth when Gallagher and Show reached on a walk and a hit by pitch, respectively. After Calderone reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases, Capp singled through the right side to bring home two more runs.
Sleith had little trouble closing it out in the sixth and seventh as she retired each of the final six hitters to claim the win.
Sleith tossed nine innings total on the day while giving up just six hits and notching 11 strikeouts against one walk. She moved into eighth place in single-season strikeouts at RMU (176) and into a tie for ninth in single-season wins (17).
Capp posted her 10th multi-RBI game of the season and the 21st of her career in the nightcap.
Calderone moved into sole possession of third place in career games played (185) at RMU and also slid into the top 10 in career doubles (21).
Robert Morris will take a step out of league play as they return home to host a doubleheader Tuesday, April 17. The Colonials will face off with Akron with the first pitch scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
