Moon Township, Pa. – Junior Geena Badolato (Mt. Lebanon, Pa. / Mt. Lebanon) and sophomore Nicole Sleith (Smithton, Pa. / Yough) both had strong performances in the circle in leading the Robert Morris University softball team to a sweep of Wagner in Northeast Conference (NEC) action Sunday afternoon at a sunny North Athletic Complex.

RMU took the opener, 6-1, before hanging on to a 1-0 victory in the nightcap.

Badolato twirled a three-hit shutout in the second game of the day to finish off the sweep. She notched her second shutout of the season and sixth of her career and tied the fewest amount of hits she has given up in a shutout effort. She used strong infield defense by RMU to her advantage as she induced 18 ground ball outs by the Seahawk hitters and pounded the strike zone by throwing 57 of her 79 pitches for strikes. Amazingly, she allowed just one ball in play to leave the infield in seven innings of work.

Sleith also threw a three-hitter in the opener and allowed a lone run in going the full seven frames. She posted 10 strikeouts, the fourth time this season she has hit double figures in that category, and second consecutive, and the eighth time in her career. Sleith has now allowed two earned runs in her last seven starts combined, each of which has been at least seven innings in length.

With the efforts of Badolato and Sleith Sunday, RMU allowed just one earned run in a NEC doubleheader for the fourth time this season.

Freshman Lauren Hackett (Glenshaw, Pa. / Shaler Area) went 3-for-6 on the day with a pair of RBI and a sacrifice. The rookie notched her third multi-RBI effort in the opener and produced her fifth multi-hit game, and second in as many days, in the nightcap.

Freshman Ashley Gerhart (Imperial, Pa. / West Allegheny) matched Hackett's 3-for-6 performance at the plate and added a pair of runs scored, including the lone run of the nightcap, and a sacrifice. Gerhart posted her team-leading 10th multi-hit game in the second contest of the day.

Senior Maritza Jimenez (Vineland, N.J. / Vineland) had two hits, including a double, and two RBI on the day. She tallied her fifth multi-hit game of the season and the 15th of her career and now has a notched multi-hit game against each of RMU's past four opponents. Jimenez also registered her 13th career multi-RBI performance in the opener.

Sleith started strong by retiring the side in order in the first with a pair of strikeouts and a groundout.

RMU got on the board right away, and Gerhart started the rally by lining the first pitch she saw into left for a single. Hackett followed with a sacrifice before freshman Haileigh Stocks (Jamison, Pa. / Central Bucks South) drilled a two-strike single into right to put runners on the corners. After Stocks stole second and a flyout occurred, senior Britta Grafton (Jamestown, Pa. / Jamestown) bounded a single up the middle into center to plate both runners.

A leadoff hit batter was no issue for Sleith in the second as she proceeded to get three consecutive groundouts to end the frame.

The Colonials doubled their lead in the second as sophomore Samantha Santillo (Ellwood City, Pa. / Lincoln) started things off by knocking an opposite-field single down the right field line. After Jessica Tanigawa (Marysville, Wash. / Marysville-Pitchuck) worked a full count walk, junior shortstop Cassie Show (Connellsville, Pa. / Connellsville) put down a successful sacrifice to advance both runners. After a strikeout, Hackett came through with a clutch, two-out single into center to give RMU a 4-0 lead.

Sleith worked around a leadoff walk by retiring the next three batters in the third.

Jimenez singled into center to start the third, and after a sacrifice by Grafton, sophomore Tess Apke (Mt. Lebanon, Pa. / Mt. Lebanon) knocked an opposite-field single into right to put runners on the corners. Apke would steal second, but a flyout and a strikeout followed to keep the Colonials off the board.

Wagner had its most serious threat of the day and scored its lone run in the fourth as it used three walks and a single to score a run. With the bases still loaded and just one out, Sleith came up with a big looking strikeout and then got a groundout to Stocks to end the inning.

A Wagner error and a full count walk by Stocks would put a pair of runners on for RMU in the fourth with two down. Jimenez came through by nailing a double into the right center gap to plate both baserunners and provide some significant breathing room for the hosts.

Wagner had two singles in the fifth, but Sleith would strand both runners by getting a looking strikeout to end the inning.

RMU did not generate much in its final two innings on offense.

Sleith worked around a leadoff walk in the sixth by getting a pair of groundouts and a strikeout to keep the Seahawks at bay. She then retired the side in order to close it out as she got a pair of strikeouts and a flyout to end the game.

Grafton contributed the 13th multi-RBI game of her career in the opening contest.

Robert Morris had much less margin for error in the nightcap, but Badolato did not blink once in completing the sweep for the Colonials.

Santillo gunned down a runner trying to steal to stop the Seahawks from starting any rally in the top of the first.

Gerhart and Hackett knocked back-to-back singles to open the game, but a foulout, a strikeout and a flyout kept Robert Morris from taking an early edge.

Each side went in order in the second.

An infield single and a walk gave Wagner a strong start in the third and a groundout would then advance both runners. With runners on second and third and one out, Badolato got consecutive groundouts to Show to leave two Seahawks on base.

Gerhart started a rally with one down in the third by knocking a single down the right field line and moved to second on an error. Hackett followed by lining a single to left to move her classmate to third with one out. Stocks then delivered the runner from third by knocking a high flyball to left that Gerhart was able to score on with relative ease.

Both teams went in order in each of the next two innings.

A single and a Colonial miscue gave Wagner a runner on second with no outs in the sixth. However, Badolato would then get three straight groundouts to preserve the lead.

Stocks would single into right center with one away in the bottom half and moved to second on a wild pitch, but she would advance no further.

Wagner got the tying run on base in the seventh with a one-out infield hit, but Badolato stuck with it and retired the next two batters to finish her shutout and the RMU sweep.

RMU scored all seven of its runs Sunday with two outs in the inning.

The Colonials will return to their home diamond for a pair of mid-week games. Robert Morris will be in action Wednesday, April 24, when it hosts Youngstown State at 3:00 p.m. in a non-conference doubleheader.