Fairfield, Conn. – Seniors
Lauren Hackett and
Haileigh Stocks both homered to lead the
Robert Morris University softball team to a 3-1 victory in the opening game of a Northeast Conference doubleheader Sunday at a sun-splashed Pioneer Park.
RMU dropped the second game of the twinbill by an identical 3-1 margin.
Hackett finished the day by going 3-for-7 with the aforementioned homer and three RBI. The veteran notched her seventh multi-hit effort of the season in the opener, the 14th of her career. It was her fifth multi-hit performance in the team's last eight games. Hackett also provided her third multi-RBI effort of the season Sunday, the 10th of her career.
Stocks went 2-for-5 Sunday with the long ball and a sacrifice. Her blast was her team-leading fifth of the season and the 14th of her career.
Junior
Jordan Gurganus ripped a triple to the fence in right center to start the opening game. Hackett then drilled a 2-2 offering well over the fence in left to give RMU an early lead. Senior
Kristen Gabelt tried to restart things by dumping a single into left. She would move to second on a wild pitch, but the next three Colonials were retired.
Freshman
Laura Coulter retired the Pioneers in order in the first on a groundout, a fly out and a strikeout.
Freshman
Abrielle McCartney worked a seven-pitch walk with one down in the second. She was sacrificed to second by redshirt freshman
Kristen Pray, but a lineout ended the inning.
Sacred Heart would get its lone run in the second courtesy of a leadoff double, a groundout and a RMU error.
After RMU went in order in the third, the Pioneers tallied consecutive singles with one out in the bottom half. However, Coulter struck out the next batter before getting a fly out to right, on which Gabelt made a nice, sliding grab.
Stocks homered on a 2-2 pitch down the left field line with one out in the fourth to give the Colonials an insurance run. A Sacred Heart error and a single by McCartney then gave RMU a chance to get more. Pray moved both runners along with a sacrifice, but a popup ended the inning.
Freshman
Kaitlin Ellzy worked around a one-out single in the home half by getting the next two batters to ground out.
Gerhart roped a double to the fence in left center with two outs in the fifth, but a strikeout ended the frame.
A two-out single by the Pioneers was no matter for Ellzy in the bottom half as she struck out the next batter looking.
Each team went down 1-2-3 in the sixth inning.
Pray drove a single into left to begin the seventh, but the line drive that followed unfortunately turned into a double play for the Colonials. Hackett singled with two down to try and start a rally, but a fly out followed.
Sacred Heart drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the seventh to bring the tying run to the plate, but Ellzy got a popup on the infield to finish off the win.
Ellzy earned the win by allowing just two hits in four shutout innings while Coulter was also solid in the circle as she did not yield an earned run in three innings of action.
Hackett's long ball was her fourth of the season, and sixth of her career, while Gurganus' triple was her fourth of the season and ninth of her career.
The script flipped in the second game as the Pioneers got a two-run edge and held on to the end.
After RMU went in order in the top of the first, Coulter worked around a leadoff walk in the home half by retiring the next three batters.
Gerhart walked to begin the second, and Stocks moved her along with a sacrifice, but a lineout and a popup then followed.
Sacred Heart had a good chance to take the lead in the bottom half as two singles and a passed ball gave the Pioneers two runners in scoring position with one out. However, Gabelt then caught a fly ball in medium right and fired to the plate where Gurganus applied her glove to the tagging runner for a double play.
Gurganus doubled to left center with two down in the third, and Hackett then delivered a single to center to score the game's first run.
The Pioneers would tie the game right away as a leadoff double and a single put runners at the corners before a RBI groundout evened things up.
Gerhart and Stocks singled consecutively to open the fourth, but RMU was unable to take advantage as the next three hitters were retired. A triple, a walk and a soft two-out single to left center put the Pioneers on top by two in the bottom half.
RMU was unable to mount a comeback in the final frames as each pitcher faced the minimum number of batters over the final three innings to finish off the contest.
Gerhart moved into seventh place all-time at RMU in career hits (173) Sunday. Her double in the opening game was her seventh of the season and 24th of her career. Gurganus' two-bagger was her first of the season and the fourth of her career.
After playing 37 of its first 39 games away from home, Robert Morris will resume action at home this Tuesday against St. Bonaventure in its non-conference finales.
