Madeira Beach, Fla. – Junior
Lauren Hackett nailed a two-run homer in the eighth inning to turn a deficit into a win as the
Robert Morris University softball team walked off against Harvard, 2-1, in its final game of the EMU Madeira Beach Invitational on a warm Sunday afternoon near the Gulf of Mexico.
RMU dropped its first game of the day to UAB, 11-0, in five innings.
Hackett and senior
Nicole Sleith led RMU to the victory over the Crimson.
Hackett netted her first long ball of the season with the game-ending blast as she became the seventh distinct Colonial to go yard in the first nine games of the campaign. The two RBI gave her the seventh multi-RBI effort of her career.
Sleith was brilliant in the circle as she allowed three singles and zero earned runs while throwing all eight innings. She struck out nine batters without any walks or hit batters. In doing so, she collected the 60th win of her career and became just the second Colonial ever to surpass 700 career strikeouts.
While the day ended with jubilation for the Colonials, it did not start that way as the Colonials fell behind early against the Blazers, a program that has been to five consecutive NCAA Tournaments, and never recovered.
UAB scored twice in the first with just one hit as it also drew a walk and used a couple of Colonial misplays to its advantage.
Sophomore
Jordan Gurganus took a walk to start the bottom half of the first and was sacrificed to second by sophomore
Stacey Capp, but she would not come all the way around.
After each team went in order in the second, UAB broke the game open in the third inning with eight tallies, all of which were unearned, on just four hits.
UAB would add one more run in the fourth. Freshman
Olivia Lorusso singled in the bottom half and would advance into scoring position, but she would be stranded.
Each team went in order in the fifth to bring the proceedings to a close.
Despite taking the loss, junior
Haileigh Stocks tossed 4.1 innings against the Blazers and yielded just three hits and zero earned runs.
The second game of the day for both Harvard and RMU was a classic pitcher's duel with neither side giving an inch until extra frames.
The Crimson had a good chance to take the lead in the top of the first after an infield single and subsequent steal put a runner in scoring position with no outs. Sleith wouldn't give in, though, as she got a groundout, a strikeout and a popup to escape the threat.
Capp poked an opposite-field double with one away in the bottom half, her first two-bagger of the season, but she would be left on base.
Harvard notched a one-out single in the second, but Sleith followed by getting a strikeout before Capp ranged nicely to her left to field a grounder and force the lead runner to end the inning.
Senior
Samantha Santillo reached on a line drive, two-out single in the bottom of the second, but a popup ended the frame.
Sleith retired the Crimson in order in the third on a pair of strikeouts and a groundout.
Gurganus singled with one away in the third, and then stole second with two outs, but a fly ball to deep center left her in scoring position.
Each team went in order in each of the next two innings as both pitchers settled into a groove.
With one away in the top of the sixth, and Sleith having retired 12 consecutive, a two-base throwing error gave the Crimson some life. Sleith was not rattled, though, as she got a groundout and a fly out to right to leave the potential go-ahead run at third base.
RMU had a runner reach via a Harvard miscue with two outs in the home half but would not take advantage.
Each team again went down 1-2-3 in the seventh with only one ball leaving the infield combined by the two squads.
The international tiebreaker was put into effect in the eighth inning. Sleith struck out the first two batters on a combined six pitches, but Harvard then knocked a well-placed ground ball just inside the third base bag for a RBI single, cracking the scoreboard for the first time. Sleith fielded a bunt attempt without issue for the final out to strand a runner in scoring position.
With one away in the bottom of the eighth, Hackett crushed the first pitch she saw well over the fence in left center, sending the Colonial bench into jubilation.
RMU was one of four squads in the 12-team tournament to finish with a 4-1 record, tying for the top mark on the weekend in this inaugural event.
This is the first time in over a decade that seven different Colonials have homered within the first nine games of a season. In fact, only six distinct Colonials hit long balls throughout the entirety of last season.
Hackett is the first Colonial to launch a walk-off home run since
Brenna Reed accomplished the feat in April 2007.
Robert Morris is scheduled to play five more games next weekend, beginning Friday, Feb. 27, as it takes part in the four-team Green and White Tournament at Charlotte.
