Oxford, Ohio – Senior
Nicole Sleith had one of her finest outings of the season in leading the
Robert Morris University softball team to a 1-0 win over the host RedHawks at the Miami Invitational Saturday evening under partly cloudy skies at the Miami Softball Stadium.
RMU had a tough go of it in the first game of the day at the event as it dropped a five-inning decision to North Dakota, 17-3.
Sleith dominated from start to finish Saturday evening by tossing a two-hit shutout in which she faced three over the minimum. She was incredibly efficient, throwing 56 of her 79 pitches for strikes, in notching her second shutout of the season and the 20th of her career. She also helped her own cause defensively on a number of occasions as she tallied a career-high and team season best seven assists.
Sophomore
Jordan Gurganus was one of the offensive leaders for the Colonials Saturday as she went 3-for-6 with a double and a run scored. She posted her team-leading ninth multi-hit game of the season against UND, the 22nd of her career, while tallying her fourth extra-base hit of the campaign against the RedHawks, surpassing the total from her freshman season.
Senior
Tess Apke went 2-for-3 for RMU against Miami and added a RBI in the team's opening game of the day. She posted her eighth multi-hit effort of the season and the 40th of her career against the RedHawks.
Robert Morris fell behind right away against UND and could not recover.
North Dakota broke it open from the get-go as it scored seven times, including three unearned tallies, in the top of the first on four hits, a trio of walks, a hit batter and a Colonial miscue.
Gurganus singled to left to start the bottom half and junior
Ashley Gerhart followed with a sharp single to right one out later, but each of the next two Colonials were retired.
After neither side scored in the second, UND used a two-out double to add one run in the third.
RMU tried to mount a rally in the home half as junior
Lauren Hackett drove a double to deep left center to start things. Gurganus followed with a single before sophomore
Stacey Capp walked to load the bases with no outs. Gerhart followed with a base on balls to bring home a run before Apke picked up a RBI on a fielder's choice. Junior
Kristen Gabelt continued to cut into the lead by singling to left, but the Colonials would get no further.
North Dakota used the long ball to its advantage in the fourth as it scored nine times, eight of which were unearned, to effectively put the game away.
The setback for Robert Morris dropped it to 1-1 on the season against UND as the Colonials claimed a 9-2 victory over North Dakota less than a month ago.
RMU displayed resilience by responding with a well-played victory in its second game.
Capp and Gerhart both hit the ball rather hard on a line to the outfield in the top of the first but came away with nothing to show for it.
Sleith set down the RedHawks in order in the home half on a fly out, a groundout and a strikeout.
RMU grabbed the only run it would need in the second when Gabelt started things by working a seven-pitch walk with one out. Junior
Haileigh Stocks then put a charge into a 2-2 offering to the opposite field as she clanged a double off the fence to move her classmate to third. Senior
Samantha Santillo, who caught Sleith's effort, followed by bounding a RBI single to center to plate Gabelt. A strikeout and caught stealing closed the frame.
Sleith retired Miami 1-2-3 in the second on a strikeout, a popup and a groundout to Hackett.
Capp walked with two outs in the third and promptly stole second but would be left there.
Miami went in order for the third consecutive inning on a soft lineout, a popup and a groundout to Sleith.
Apke singled to left to start the fourth and advanced to second on a well-executed sacrifice by Gabelt. After Stocks worked a walk on a full count, Santillo's bid for a second hit deflected off the pitcher's glove and into the path of the shortstop, allowing the hosts to get a force at second. A lineout to left ended the inning.
A leadoff single to center and a sacrifice gave Miami a chance to tie in the fourth, but Sleith rose to the occasion by getting consecutive swinging strikeouts to end the threat.
Gurganus drove a double down the left field line with one away in the fifth and would advance to third on a fly ball but could not come all the way across.
An infield single and a sacrifice again gave the RedHawks an opportunity in the fifth, but a popup on the infield and a groundout followed.
Apke began the sixth with a hard grounder into center, but she would advance no further in the inning.
RMU's defense was put to the test in the sixth, but it emerged unscathed. Two consecutive RedHawks tried to bunt for hits, but Sleith gathered both attempts and fired to first to get outs. After the lone Colonial miscue of the game gave life to Miami, Santillo gunned down to Capp, who did well to gather the throw and apply the tag before allowing the runner to touch second for an inning-ending caught stealing.
After Robert Morris went in order in the seventh, Miami used a leadoff walk to bring the winning run to the plate. After a popup, a groundout advanced the tying run to second, but Sleith got the next batter to foul out to Hackett to preserve the tight victory.
Stocks' two-bagger was the 19th of her career while Hackett notched the 11th of her career against UND.
Robert Morris will look to begin a winning streak Sunday as it closes play at Miami's event with back-to-back games against Oakland and Detroit.
