Washington, D.C. – The
Robert Morris University softball team continued play Saturday in the District Invite with a pair of setbacks at an overcast Washington Nationals Youth Academy facility.
RMU fell to Columbia, 9-1 in five innings, to begin the day before co-host Georgetown downed the Colonials, 6-0.
Junior
Jordan Gurganus continued her torrid start to the 2016 campaign by going a combined 4-for-6 Saturday. She notched a trio of hits against the Hoyas in four at bats and has now hit in seven straight games while posting six multi-hit efforts in that stretch. Her multi-hit game against Georgetown was her team-leading 10th of the season and the 42nd of her career.
Senior
Kristen Gabelt went 2-for-5 Saturday with a double, her third two-bagger of the season.
RMU went in order in the top of the first against Columbia as Gabelt was robbed of a hit when the center fielder made a diving catch of a liner.
The Lions pulled ahead in the home half by using a hit batter, a steal, a single and a sacrifice fly.
Freshman
Abrielle McCartney doubled with one out in the second into the left field corner. She would come around to score courtesy of an illegal pitch and a passed ball.
Columbia surged back on top in the home half with a leadoff single, a walk, a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly.
Gurganus singled with two outs in the third but would not advance.
Columbia broke the game open in the bottom half by scoring six times thanks to six hits, a hit batter, a walk and a Colonial miscue.
Gabelt began the fourth by beating out an infield single and taking second on an error. However, the next three hitters were retired on a sharp lineout to right, a fly ball to deep left center and a hot shot grounder that nailed off the pitcher and deflected right to the first baseman.
The Lions got their final run in the home half on a pair of singles, a fielder's choice and a wild pitch.
The Colonials could not mount a rally in the fifth inning to extend the game.
Georgetown used a big first inning in the final game of the day to cruise to the victory in its home city.
Gurganus began the game with a single to center and was sacrificed to center by senior
Lauren Hackett. A hit was then taken away from Gabelt by a diving stop by the second baseman before a strikeout left the junior on third base.
The Hoyas scored four times in the first inning on the strength of a single hit. Georgetown used two walks, two steals, a single, a fielder's choice RBI, a wild pitch, a RBI groundout and a RMU error to plate a quartet of runs.
Gerhart ripped an opposite-field double to the fence in left center to begin the second inning and moved to third on a groundout, but a pair of lineouts ended the inning.
Georgetown added a single unearned tally in the second after an error was followed by a steal, a groundout and a squeeze.
Gurganus singled with one away in the third, and Gabelt poked a double down the right field line one out later to put two runners on, but a six-pitch at bat then ended in a strikeout.
Each of the next two half innings was of the 1-2-3 variety.
After a leadoff bloop single in the bottom of the fourth, Georgetown hit a one-out double down the left field line. However, the Colonials executed the relay perfectly as redshirt freshman
Kristen Pray hit sophomore
Olivia Lorusso, who fired to Gurganus at the plate to cut down the runner and help keep the Hoyas off the board in the inning.
Gurganus singled with two outs in the fifth, but a groundout followed.
A single, a walk, a wild pitch and an infield single scored Georgetown's final run in the bottom half.
After RMU went in order in the sixth, Georgetown loaded the bases with two hits and a walk, but it would not add on any further.
Lorusso walked to begin the seventh, and Pray singled one out later to put a pair on base, but the next two Colonials were retired to conclude the proceedings.
Gurganus' three-hit game against the Hoyas was her fourth of the season and the ninth of her career.
RMU will conclude play in the event Sunday morning with a single game against Monmouth.
