Cleveland, Ohio – The
Robert Morris University softball team had the lead in both of its games Sunday, but the Colonials ended up dropping a pair of one-run affairs on the final day of the CSU Dome Tournament at Krenzler Field.
RMU fell to Bucknell, 6-5, after the Colonials rallied to tie the game in the top of the seventh, before it dropped a 3-2 decision to Bowling Green.
Seniors
Alexis Schwartzmiller and
Tess Apke and sophomore
Jordan Gurganus were the top offensive contributors for RMU Sunday while senior
Nicole Sleith led the Colonials from the circle.
Sleith threw 12 innings combined and allowed only four hits and three earned runs while striking out 23 batters against a pair of walks. In the game against Bowling Green, Sleith struck out 14 of the 27 batters she faced without issuing a walk. That strikeout total tied her career high and is tied for the most by a Colonial in a seven-inning game since 2005.
Schwartzmiller went 3-for-6 with a double, her first-career homer and two runs scored, giving her four extra-base hits and two multi-hit games on the season.
Apke finished 3-for-7 with a steal and a RBI double that tied the contest against the Bison when RMU was down to its final out. She collected the 34th multi-hit outing of her career and also tallied her 26th double, moving her into a tie for sixth all-time in that category.
Gurganus was 4-for-7 Sunday with two RBI and a steal as she posted a three-hit game for the second straight day. That effort was the fourth three-hit game of her career and her 15th overall multi-hit performance.
Bucknell led for a majority of the first game but was barely able to withstand a late RMU rally.
Gurganus singled to center to start the game and was advanced to second on a sacrifice by junior
Ashley Gerhart. With two outs, Gurganus attempted to score on a single by Apke but was thrown out at the plate.
Bucknell put two on in the first but would not score.
A one-out double to left center by Schwartzmiller and a two-out, opposite-field double by junior
Lauren Hackett brought home the game's first run in the second.
Bucknell used five hits, two of which never left the infield, and two hit batters to break the game open with five runs in the home half of the second.
Each team went in order in each of the next two innings.
Junior
Kristen Gabelt singled to start the fifth. After two groundouts, Gurganus delivered a two-out RBI single to center. Gerhart followed with a six-pitch walk to put two on base, but a groundout ended the threat.
The next two half-innings were of the 1-2-3 variety. Bucknell had a two-out infield single in the sixth but could make no use of it.
RMU then roared to life in the seventh. Gabelt again got things started with a sharp single to the left side, and an error put two on base. Freshman
Mary Funderlich was then called upon to pinch hit, and the rookie laced a lined single into right center in her first collegiate plate appearance. Gurganus followed with a single to right to pull RMU within one run. After two outs were made, Apke came through in the clutch by nailing a fly ball to deep right to tie the game. Unfortunately for the Colonials, the ball skipped over the fence on one hop, which forced Gurganus to go back to third when she almost certainly would have otherwise scored. A fly ball to center followed to close the frame.
Bucknell used a pair of walks and a Colonial miscue to walk off with the win with two away in the seventh.
Gabelt notched the 12th multi-hit game of her career in the opener while Gurganus added her third career multi-RBI effort.
The second game of the day for RMU was lower scoring than the first but was still nearly as tense.
Gurganus was the only baserunner for either side in the first inning as she led off with a single to center.
Sleith struck out the side in order in the second, and on the first pitch of the bottom of the inning, freshman
Olivia Lorusso crushed a home run to right center, the first of her young collegiate career. Schwartzmiller would single to right with one away but would not advance.
Bowling Green put two in scoring position in the third courtesy of a walk, a hit batter and two steals, but Sleith got a big strikeout to strand the runners.
A Colonial reached base on an error in the third, but a double play ended the inning.
The Falcons' only runner in the fourth was erased when senior
Samantha Santillo gunned her down trying to steal.
Apke started the home half of the fourth with a single to center. She stole second two outs later but would be left there.
Bowling Green used a hit batter, a single and a two-out triple to take the lead in the fifth inning.
After keeping the Colonials quiet in the home half, Bowling Green added a key insurance tally via solo homer in the sixth.
Gerhart walked with one away in the frame but would not advance as RMU ran into some poor batted ball luck. All three Colonial outs were registered via lineout, two of which were driven well into the outfield.
Sleith set down the Falcons in order in the seventh on a strikeout and two groundouts.
Schwartzmiller crushed the first pitch she saw in the seventh over the fence in left to pull RMU within a run with two outs to go. Santillo followed by nearly matching her teammate as she drove a fly ball to left, but it was hauled in with little room to spare. Bowling Green then used a groundout to end the game.
Lorusso becomes the first RMU freshman to homer on the season's opening weekend since Apke did it during her rookie campaign.
Robert Morris' .318 team batting average is the highest by a Colonial team after four games since 2004.
RMU's only off weekend of the season will be next weekend as the Colonials resume action Feb. 20-22 at the EMU Madeira Beach Invitational.
