Moon Township, Pa. – Senior
Kristen Gabelt doubled in the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to help the
Robert Morris University softball team finish off a nail-biting sweep of Bryant Sunday at a mostly sunny North Athletic Complex.
RMU hung on to win the opener, 1-0, and claimed the nightcap, 4-3 in eight innings, after it had tied the game with two outs in the seventh.
The trio of Colonial freshmen who toed the rubber split the workload pretty evenly and each played a significant role in Sunday's sweep. Freshmen
Lacee Collins,
Laura Coulter and
Kaitlin Ellzy combined to allow just eight hits and three runs in 15 innings of work.
While the pitching staff did its share, RMU's defense also had a splendid day at the park. The Colonials did not commit an error Sunday while seniors
Kristen Gabelt and
Lauren Hackett both made noteworthy grabs.
Gabelt finished the nightcap 2-for-4 with a home run and the aforementioned winning double. Her fifth long ball of the season, and 18th of her career, helped her post her 11th multi-hit outing of 2016, the 33rd of her career.
Senior
Ashley Gerhart went a combined 2-for-4 with a home run and a sacrifice Sunday while classmate
Haileigh Stocks accounted for the lone run of the first game with her homer.
A leadoff single in the top of the first and a two-out walk gave Bryant a chance to score straight away, but Ellzy got the next batter to ground out weakly to Stocks.
Each of the next five half-innings was of the 1-2-3 variety in the brisk-paced game.
A two-out walk by Bryant in the fourth was no matter for Ellzy as sophomore
Olivia Lorusso made a nice jumping stab of a liner to end the frame.
After RMU went in order in the home half of the fourth, Bryant had a chance to take control in the fifth. With two outs, a walk, an infield single and a hit batter loaded the bases. Coulter was called on from the bullpen and came through in a clutch spot as she got a swinging strikeout of the three-batter to leave the sacks full.
Stocks began the home half by golfing a 1-2 pitch over the fence in left to break the scoreless deadlock. Gerhart singled to center one out later but would not come all the way around.
Coulter pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning, thanks in part to a great diving catch by Gabelt in right.
Freshman
Abrielle McCartney walked to begin the home half and would move to third on a sacrifice by junior
Stacey Capp. However, the sharp lineout that followed found the glove of the third baseman before a popup ended the frame.
A pair of walks and a wild pitch put runners at the corners with two outs in the seventh for Bryant, but Coulter made one more key pitch and got a routine groundout to Capp to close out the win.
Ellzy allowed just two hits in 4.2 innings of shutout work in the opener while Coulter earned the win by not yielding a hit in 2.1 inning of action.
Stocks' blast was her team-leading sixth of the year and her fourth in eight NEC games this season. It was also the 15th of her career.
Bryant opened the scoring in the nightcap, but the Colonials battled back to tie, and eventually win, the contest.
A leadoff bloop single, a sacrifice and a two-out single gave the Bulldogs a run in the top of the first.
Gabelt answered in the home half by rifling the first pitch she saw over the fence down the line in left.
Neither team would have a runner reach in the second inning.
A single, a walk and a two-out, two-run double put Bryant on top by a pair of runs in the third.
Redshirt freshman
Kristen Pray was robbed of a hit to begin the bottom half on a diving catch of a liner by the shortstop. Junior
Jordan Gurganus would single with two outs, but she was controversially called out on a force play when the next batter hit a ground ball.
Collins pitched a 1-2-3 fourth inning by getting a groundout and a popup sandwiched around a snare of a liner that she made herself.
Gerhart would get RMU one run closer by hammering a 1-2 pitch over the fence in center with two down in the bottom half.
Collins worked around a two-out walk in the fifth by getting an infield popup on the next pitch.
After RMU went in order in the bottom half, Bryant had a one-out single in the sixth. However, Capp then fielded a high chopper, spun to tag second and force the lead runner and fired to first to complete an inning-ending double play.
Each of the next two half-innings was of 1-2-3 variety.
Stocks chopped a 1-2 pitch through the right side of the infield to begin the home half of the seventh. Gerhart then sacrificed her to second base. After the second out, McCartney delivered the tying run with the game in the balance as she lined a single to left to score a hustling Stocks. A groundout to the circle sent the game into extras.
After a leadoff infield single in the eighth for Bryant, Ellzy entered the game. The rookie got a strikeout, a fielder's choice force and a popup to keep the game tied.
Gurganus singled with one down in the eighth and moved to second on a groundout as she was going on the pitch. With two down, Gabelt came through as she sent a double to right center to easily score the winning run, sending the Colonial bench into jubilation.
Gabelt's winning hit was her sixth double of the season and the 22nd of her career. She netted her fifth multi-RBI effort of 2016 and the 16th of her career.
Collins tossed 4.1 innings of shutout relief in the nightcap as she allowed just two hits. Ellzy fired a scoreless eighth to earn the win.
Gerhart's long ball was her third of the season and the 15th of her career. She moved into a tie for ninth all-time at RMU in career runs scored (94).
Gurganus notched her team-leading 18th multi-hit performance of the season, the 50th of her career.
With RMU halfway through its league slate, the Colonials will resume action and conclude the road portion of its schedule this Saturday, April 30, at Mount St. Mary's.
