Charlotte, N.C. – The Robert Morris University softball team had its prior two days of scheduled play cancelled due to poor weather, but its performances Sunday were well worth the wait for RMU fans as the Colonials pulled off two thrilling victories, each in their final at bat, at the 49ers Invitational at the Phillips Softball Complex.

RMU rallied from a three-run deficit to take down Western Carolina, 9-7, in its opening game before knocking off host Charlotte, 3-2, in eight innings. With the victory in the nightcap, the Colonials have now won six of their last seven extra-inning games played on the road.

Freshman Haileigh Stocks (Jamison, Pa. / Central Bucks South) had one of the more memorable moments of the day as she blasted a grand slam in her first-ever collegiate at bat to turn a 4-1 deficit into a 5-4 RMU lead. Her grand salami was the first by a Colonial since Chelsea Siar (Glenshaw, Pa. / Shaler Area) blasted one in the 2011 regular season finale, a span of 66 games.

Stocks finished 2-for-4 on the day, one of three RMU freshmen that had multiple hits Sunday, and added a double, a walk, a sacrifice and two runs scored.

Sophomore outfielder Tess Apke (Mt. Lebanon, Pa. / Mt. Lebanon) went 3-for-7 on the day with a two-run homer, a walk and three runs scored. She tallied her first multi-hit game of the season, and 10th of her career, against the Catamounts before adding her eighth career multi-RBI outing against the 49ers.

Sophomore Nicole Sleith (Smithton, Pa. / Yough) registered both wins in the circle for the Colonials, including the complete-game, extra-inning effort against the Niners. Sleith tossed 9.2 innings on the day, allowed three runs and struck out 12 batters against one walk and no hit batters.

Freshmen Ashley Gerhart (Imperial, Pa. / West Allegheny) (2-for-4, two walks, a RBI, a run scored and a steal) and Kristen Gabelt (Ligonier, Pa. / Ligonier Valley) (2-for-7, a walk, two runs scored and a RBI) and sophomore Samantha Santillo (Ellwood City, Pa. / Lincoln) (2-for-5, a walk, a RBI and a key sacrifice bunt) were all among a list of offensive contributors for the Colonials.

Robert Morris scored a season-best nine runs in the opener even though neither side cracked the scoreboard until the fourth inning. The Colonials were able to take advantage of some wildness from the Catamounts' pitchers as RMU drew 10 walks in the contest. That figure represents the highest walk total in a single contest by RMU in the last 408 games in program history.

Western Carolina led off the game with a single, but junior Geena Badolato (Mt. Lebanon, Pa. / Mt. Lebanon) quickly got two strikeouts before Santillo gunned down the runner trying to steal.

Junior shortstop Cassie Show (Connellsville, Pa. / Connellsville) walked with one away in the bottom half and promptly stole second but was left there.

The Colonials worked around a two-out hit in the top of the second. Santillo walked in the bottom of the frame with one out but would not advance.

The sophomore backstop caught another runner trying to steal in the third, which proved large, as the next two batters reached base. However, RMU would again escape without damage due to an inning-ending comebacker.

Gerhart and Apke both walked in the third, but the duo could not come around.

Western Carolina jolted the game into a different direction in the top of the fourth by scoring three times, the start of a stretch in which there would be runs scored in six straight half-innings. The Catamounts used a walk and three hits to score three runs before Santillo again nabbed a runner on the basepaths to end the inning.

With two down and the bases empty in the home half, Stocks walked in her first collegiate plate appearance. After an error extended the inning, Gerhart singled to center to bring home Stocks with RMU's first run. Freshman Lauren Hackett (Glenshaw, Pa. / Shaler Area) would walk to load the bases, but the Colonials couldn't add any more.

Western Carolina would tack on an unearned run in the fifth as the leadoff batter reached on a two-base error and would come around to score. However, the Colonial defense would come up with a huge play when the Catamounts had runners on the corners with one out. Show retrieved a grounder and fired to first; then Hackett alertly fired home, and Santillo slapped on the tag to prevent the runner from coming through the back door.

RMU would carry the defensive momentum over to the bat rack as the Colonials would score five times in the fifth. Apke singled to lead off the frame, and Siar followed with a walk one out later, forcing a pitching change. Santillo would greet the Catamounts' ace with a single before Stocks came to the dish for her second-ever plate appearance. The rookie delivered in the biggest way imaginable by launching a grand slam to give RMU its first lead of the day. Gerhart refused to let the inning end, though, as she walked with two outs, stole second and came around to score on an error to put the Colonials on top, 6-4.

Western Carolina came right back in the sixth as it used five singles to put itself back on top, 7-6.

Robert Morris would post its second comeback of the day in the home half. Apke singled with one out to start things before Gabelt walked to move her into scoring position. Siar would come through with a clutch, game-tying single, which also moved Gabelt to third. After Siar stole second, Santillo came through and executed the squeeze play to bring the freshman racing home from third for what proved to be the game-winning run. Redshirt freshman outfielder Samantha Bowlsbey (Farmingdale, N.J. / Red Bank Catholic) walked to keep the inning going, and when she took off for second, Siar was able to scoot home to tack on an insurance run.

Western Carolina brought the go-ahead run to the plate with two outs in the seventh, but Sleith was finally able to end the streak of consecutive scoring innings by getting a swinging strikeout to close out the proceedings.

Stocks' grand slam also made her the first Colonial to have a 4-RBI game this season.

RMU's battle against Charlotte in the nightcap did not have nearly as much offense but still supplied plenty of drama and suspense.

After each team went down in order in the first, Gabelt singled to center to lead off the second, and Apke followed with a two-run blast one out later to give the Colonials an early advantage. Santillo and Gerhart would both single later in the inning, but they would be left stranded.

Sleith again retired Charlotte in order in the second before Stocks doubled to left with one out and Gabelt followed with a single, but both runners could not make it all the way around.

Charlotte got its first baserunner of the game with a two-out triple in the third, but Sleith responded with a swinging strikeout to escape the threat.

The Niners would tie things up in the fourth, scoring in almost identical fashion as the Colonials did. A Charlotte single was followed by a one-out home run to tie it, 2-2.

Each of the next three half-innings would go in order. Sleith made sure a one-hit Charlotte single in the sixth would amount to nothing by getting a flyout and a strikeout to send it to the seventh still tied.

Siar walked with one down in the seventh, and Hackett would single her to second with two away, but a foulout sent the game to the home half.

Sleith did not mess around in the bottom of the seventh as she used a popup to Show and two strikeouts to quickly dispatch the 49ers.

With the international tiebreaker in effect in the eighth inning, Stocks sacrificed Show to third to begin the frame. Gabelt followed by doing her job as she drove in the run with a RBI groundout. Senior Maritza Jimenez (Vineland, N.J. / Vineland) would try to add on for RMU by doubling to left, but a lineout ended the frame.

After Jimenez snared a lineout to open the bottom half, a Charlotte single put runners on the corners with one out. On the ensuing play, the Charlotte batter hit a ground ball, and the Colonials were able to tag out the lead runner between third and home. However, the Niners were still very much alive as they now had the tying run on third and the winning run on second, albeit with two outs. Sleith took care of business herself to close it out as she registered a swinging strikeout of a pinch hitter to give RMU its second win of the day.

Gabelt notched her first career multi-hit game in the nightcap while Hackett safely reached base for the sixth time in six games this season.

Robert Morris committed one combined error in the two games and also improved to 11-for-11 on stolen base attempts on the young campaign.

RMU's matchup with the Catamounts was the inaugural meeting in program history while the Colonials improved to 3-2 all-time against Charlotte with today's victory.

After getting in just two games due to weather this weekend, Robert Morris will hope for better luck as it is once again scheduled for five contests next weekend. The Colonials will be back in action Friday, March 1, when they begin play in the Marshall Invitational, where they will face host Marshall along with Eastern Illinois and Buffalo.