Henderson, Nev. – The
Robert Morris University softball team opened play in the
DeMarini Desert Classic Friday with a pair of setbacks to Pac-12 programs Friday at Stephanie Lynn Craig Park.
RMU fell to Utah, 9-0 in five innings, to begin the day and then dropped an 8-1 decision to Oregon State in the afternoon.
Senior
Haileigh Stocks provided a bright spot for the Colonials as she finished the day 2-for-4 with a RBI.
The Colonials' trio of pitchers provided a respectable effort Friday, combining to allow nine earned runs in the two games against Power Five teams.
Utah, who reached a regional final in the NCAA Tournament last year, jumped on top right away in the top of the first as it used a pair of Colonial miscues and a walk to score twice.
RMU went in order in each of its first two times at bat. The Colonials turned a nice 5-4-3 double play in the second inning with sophomore
Olivia Lorusso starting the play and Stocks turning it over at second base.
The Utes broke the game open in the third by scoring seven times, including four unearned tallies. Utah used six hits, a walk and an error to take control of the contest.
Freshman
Taylor Bartlow singled to center in the home half, notching her first collegiate hit. She advanced to second on a wild pitch but was left there.
Freshman
Lacee Collins entered to pitch in the fourth. Utah got baserunners via an infield hit and an error, but the rookie kept the Utes from adding on further, thanks in part to a nice, sliding catch in left by senior
Kristen Gabelt.
RMU got a runner in the bottom half from a Utah error, but a caught stealing ended the inning.
Collins worked around a leadoff single in the fifth by retiring the next three hitters.
Stocks knocked an opposite-field single with one away in the home half. Lorusso then just missed a pitch as she flew out to the warning track in left. Freshman
Abrielle McCartney then worked a full count walk to put two on base, but a strikeout followed to end the game.
Unlike the first game, Oregon State never had one big inning but rather accrued a run or two in a number of innings to pull away from the Colonials.
After RMU went in order in the first, the Beavers used a single, a groundout and a single to take the lead in the home half.
An Oregon State error, a sacrifice by senior
Lauren Hackett and a single to center by Stocks tied the game in the second.
The Beavers pulled back ahead in the bottom half, using an error, a walk, an illegal pitch and a sacrifice fly to tally a run.
The Colonials posted a trio of consecutive groundouts in the third before Oregon State hit a two-out, solo homer to center in the bottom half.
Senior
Ashley Gerhart walked to start the fourth, and then stole second one out later, but she would be left there.
A leadoff walk, a sacrifice and a two-out bloop double to left, which just eluded a sliding Gabelt, gave the Beavers their first run in the fourth. A double to left center followed to plate a second run. Hackett then gunned down to Lorusso to catch a runner stealing to end the inning.
The Colonials went in order in each of their final three times at bat.
The Beavers would add one unearned run in the fifth after a RMU miscue began the inning. Oregon State would load the bases in the sixth on a hit batter, an infield single and a walk. A sacrifice fly and a RBI single followed although Gerhart did throw out at runner at third from center field to end the inning.
Robert Morris will continue action in the event Saturday with two more contests as the Colonials meet BYU and host UNLV.
