Moon Township, Pa. – Sophomore Nicole Sleith (Smithton, Pa. / Yough) of the Robert Morris University softball team was selected as the Northeast Conference (NEC) Pitcher of the Week as announced by the league office Monday.

Sleith claimed her second weekly honor of the 2013 campaign and the 10th of her career, becoming the first Colonial in program history to have won double-digit weekly awards.

Sleith led the RMU pitching staff in Florida, helping the Colonials to a 7-4 record on their Spring Break trip, by putting up dominating numbers against opposing batters.

She started out the week with one of the best performances of her career as she twirled a three-hit shutout against Eastern Illinois, a squad which currently has 13 wins. She tallied 14 strikeouts, just two off the school record, which was the highest figure by a Colonial in a regulation game since 2005. In throwing 64 of her 89 pitches for strikes, Sleith picked up her first shutout of 2013 and the sixth of her career despite having just one run of support for the game.

Sleith tallied her second straight win the following day against Lehigh, who currently has the best record in the Patriot League, by allowing two runs in seven innings of work. For the second consecutive day, she allowed just three hits in a complete-game effort and also added six strikeouts.

The next day Sleith would come on in relief in both RMU contests and work out of difficult situations twice. She entered the opening game against Creighton with the tying runs on second and third and one out in the sixth, but she would get a strikeout to end that threat and then retired the side in order in the seventh to earn the save. Just a few hours later, North Dakota had the tying runs on second and third with one out in the seventh, and Sleith again put out the fire to claim her second save of the day. She combined for four strikeouts in 2.2 innings pitched and allowed a lone hit on the day.

Sleith defeated Florida A&M March 15 by allowing five hits and a lone run in seven innings, while claiming nine strikeouts, to help take down the Rattlers.

Sleith's only loss of the week came to Big 12 member Oklahoma State. After shutting out the Cowgirls in the first six innings, she would allow three runs in the seventh. However, she allowed just five hits in the game and struck out nine batters without issuing a walk.

For the week, Sleith went 3-1 with two saves and registered a 1.37 ERA. She allowed opponents to hit just .160 while posting 42 strikeouts, against just five walks, in 30.2 innings pitched.

Sleith's outings are one of the key reasons that RMU has allowed three runs or fewer in nine consecutive games. That is tied for the longest such stretch in RMU history since a streak that spanned the 1999-00 seasons.

Sleith, who has won five of the last 10 Pitcher of the Week honors from the NEC, is one of six active Colonials who have collected a weekly award at some point in her career.

With 21 non-conference games under their belt, the Colonials will open NEC play as well as their home slate this coming weekend. Robert Morris will host NEC doubleheaders against both Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart Saturday, March 23, and Sunday, March 24, at 1:00 p.m. and Noon, respectively.