Boca Raton, Fla. – Senior
Ashley Gerhart delivered a walk-off single in the eighth inning to lead the
Robert Morris University softball team to a 5-4 victory over Rutgers Saturday afternoon in the Colonials' final game of the Parents' Weekend Tournament at a mostly cloudy FAU Softball Stadium.
The script was flipped in RMU's first game of the day as the Colonials dropped a 5-4 decision in eight innings to Mercer despite being one strike away from a victory.
The win over Rutgers was RMU's second in under 24 hours against a Big Ten foe as the Colonials upset No. 17/19 Minnesota Saturday evening.
The walk-off single was the icing on the cake for Gerhart as she led the team offensively against the Bears and Scarlet Knights. She went a combined 4-for-8 Saturday with a home run, three RBI, two runs scored and a steal. The long ball was her second in three days and the 14th of her career while her three-hit outing against Rutgers was her second in the past two weekends and the 12th of her career.
Freshman
Kaitlin Ellzy, fresh off a one-hitter against Minnesota, got the start against Rutgers and went the distance while allowing one earned run. The rookie scattered seven singles and, for the third consecutive start, registered 15 ground ball outs.
Junior
Jordan Gurganus helped the Colonial cause by going a combined 3-for-8 on the day with a triple and a steal. The three-bagger was her first of the season, and sixth of her career, while her multi-hit outing against the Bears was her team-leading 13th of the season and the 45th of her career.
Robert Morris would take an early lead on Mercer, but the Bears fought till the end and won it after forcing extra frames.
Gurganus ripped a triple into the right field corner to start the game, but two popups handled by infielders and a strikeout left her stranded.
Freshman
Lacee Collins retired the side in order in the home half on two groundouts to short and a shallow fly out.
Sophomore
Olivia Lorusso took a walk to begin the home half. After a sacrifice by senior
Haileigh Stocks, a throwing error by the Bears brought Lorusso all the way around to score. Redshirt freshman
Kristen Pray would take a walk with two down to try and restart things, but a fly out followed.
Collins sent Mercer down 1-2-3 in the second on two groundouts and a fly ball to left.
Each team went down in order in the third despite a sharp line drive to left in the top half by senior
Kristen Gabelt.
Gerhart opened the fourth by crushing the first pitch to right center, and the ball nailed the top third of a tall palm tree beyond the fence. Lorusso then worked a full count walk before Stocks drilled the first pitch over the fence in left center for a two-run shot. Freshman
Abrielle McCartney followed by lining a single to center, and one out later, junior
Stacey Capp shot a single down the left field line. Gurganus then singled to load the bases, but an infield fly and a groundout kept RMU from adding on further.
After it did not have a baserunner in the first three innings, Mercer came alive in the home half with some small ball. Consecutive bunt singles started things before a hit batter loaded the bases with no outs. A two-run double would follow, but freshman
Laura Coulter then entered and extinguished the flames. She got a groundout, a popup on the infield and a fly out to left to keep RMU in front.
A two-out walk by Mercer would supply the only baserunner of the fifth inning for either team.
Capp and Gurganus singled consecutively with two outs in the sixth, but a fly ball to right then served as the third out.
Mercer would pull closer in the home half. A leadoff single put a runner on base. After two wild pitches, a two-out single gave the Bears another tally.
After RMU went in order in the seventh, the Colonials retired the first two hitters of the bottom half. The next batter walked and stole second and then came around to score on an infield hit, on which the batter was called safe on a bang-bang play.
With the international tiebreaker in effect, Robert Morris was unable to score in the eighth, partially due to a double play.
RMU retired the first two batters of the home half, but a two-out single rolled into right to give Mercer the victory.
Collins allowed three hits, two on the infield, and a pair of runs in three innings while Coulter gave up a pair of hits and a lone run in her three innings of work.
Stocks' long ball was her second of the season and the 11th of her career while her multi-RBI outing was her team-leading fourth of the season and the 11th of her career.
Robert Morris was involved in a back-and-forth contest against Rutgers, but the eighth inning would prove more kind to the Colonials in their second game.
A one-out single by Rutgers in the first would not be a problem as Gurganus gunned down to Capp, who did well in blocking the bag, to catch the runner stealing to end the inning.
Gurganus reached on a fly ball to shallow right center to open the bottom half. She would steal second with one out, but a popup and fly out followed.
Ellzy retired the side in order in the second on two groundouts and a lineout. RMU also went in order in the home half.
Rutgers got a two-out infield single in the third after the ball took a tough hop, but Ellzy handled a groundout herself to keep the game scoreless.
Pray singled on a line to right with one out in the bottom half. After a second out, Hackett worked a seven-pitch walk. Gabelt followed by lining a full count pitch to left, which would bring home Pray. Gerhart then dropped a single down the right field line to score Hackett.
A leadoff walk for Rutgers in the fourth proved no harm as Ellzy retired the next three hitters on ground balls on the infield. RMU would go in order in the home half.
The Scarlet Knights took a walk to begin the fifth, but Ellzy then got two groundouts and a strikeout to strand a runner at third base.
McCartney singled to center to begin the bottom half, but she would not advance.
Rutgers tied the game in the sixth, using four singles and a Colonial miscue to plate a pair of runs, the second of which was unearned.
Robert Morris came right back in the bottom half to regain the lead. Gabelt singled to center with one out, and Gerhart followed with a single up the middle to put runners on the corners. After Gerhart swiped second, Lorusso worked an 11-pitch walk to load the bases. After a second out, Capp grounded a 2-1 pitch to the left side that found its way through the Rutgers infielders and into shallow left to score a pair of runs.
The Scarlet Knights again fought back as they used a walk, a hit batter and a RMU error to load the bases with one out. After a second out, a diving attempt by RMU at a soft liner came up just short, and the subsequent infield hit scored the tying runs.
RMU went down 1-2-3 in the home half on two groundouts and a popup.
Ellzy came up big in the eighth as she kept Rutgers off the board. She got the first batter to pop up to Capp. After a passed ball moved the go-ahead run to third, she handled a groundout herself and then got a swinging strikeout to keep the game tied.
Gabelt began the bottom half with a single down the left field line to put runners on the corners. Gerhart then sent a 1-0 offering into center to score Hackett with the winning run.
Gerhart's multi-hit performance against Rutgers was her fourth of the season and the 41st of her career while her multi-RBI effort was her third of 2016 and the 18th of her career. She also moved into the career top 10 at RMU in stolen bases by swiping a bag Saturday.
Gabelt's multi-hit outing against Rutgers was her sixth of the season and the 28th of her career.
Capp notched her second straight multi-hit performance in the opening game against Mercer, which was her fourth of the season.
Gurganus' three-hit game against the Bears was her third straight three-hit effort, the seventh of her season and the 12th of her career.
RMU resumes action next weekend, March 18-20, at the Blue/Gold Challenge hosted by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
