Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University softball team ended Saint Francis' nine-game winning streak within league play with a 6-2 victory in the opening game of a Northeast Conference doubleheader Sunday afternoon at a humid, and sometimes wet, North Athletic Complex.
The Red Flash would claim the lightning-delayed nightcap of the twinbill, 9-0.
The Colonials celebrated Senior Day Sunday, and RMU's four four-year seniors combined to drive in all of RMU's runs in its victory.
Senior
Ashley Gerhart nailed the go-ahead home run in the opener and also doubled Sunday. The outfielder notched her career-high ninth double of the season, and 26th of her career, while contributing her fifth long ball of 2016, the 17th of her career.
Junior
Stacey Capp finished a combined 3-for-6 Sunday with a double. Her eighth two-bagger of the year, the 11th of her career, helped her post her ninth multi-hit effort of the season.
Freshmen
Lacee Collins and
Kaitlin Ellzy combined in the circle to help RMU get the win as each allowed a lone run.
Saint Francis had a leadoff single to open the game, but redshirt freshman
Kristen Pray made a great defensive play by hustling to cut the ball off down the left field line and firing a strike to second base to get the batter trying to take an extra base. Collins then worked around a two-out single by getting a popup to Capp at short.
Senior
Lauren Hackett reached on a hard grounder to the right side with one out in the home half. Classmate
Kristen Gabelt followed with a single to put two on base, but consecutive fly outs ended the frame.
The Red Flash loaded the bases with one out in the second on a double, a walk and a hit batter, but Collins then got outs on consecutive ground balls to Capp, including a force at the plate.
Pray singled with two down in the second but would not advance.
Saint Francis had a pair of singles with one away in the third, but sophomore
Olivia Lorusso then started a double play at the hot corner to end the inning.
Capp led off the bottom half with a single to left, but a line drive double play would eventually end the inning.
A pair of doubles, both with two outs, helped SFU strike first in the fourth. However, RMU answered in a big way in the bottom half.
Gabelt launched a full-count long ball to left to begin the frame. Senior
Haileigh Stocks would single to center before Gerhart nailed a line drive home run down the line in right. A wild pitch on a strikeout kept the rally going for RMU, and freshman
Abrielle McCartney then singled to left. After a pair of outs, junior
Jordan Gurganus dropped down a bunt single to load the bases. Hackett then brought home a pair of runs with a single to center before the Colonials scored their final run of the inning on an error.
A walk and a pair of singles scored one run for Saint Francis in the fifth, but Gurganus would pick off a runner who strayed too far off third to end the inning.
McCartney singled with two down in the home half but would be left on base.
Saint Francis took a pair of walks in the sixth, but Ellzy got a big swinging strikeout to strand both runners.
Gurganus singled with one away in the bottom half, but she would not come all the way around.
Ellzy retired the side in order in the seventh on two groundouts and a routine fly ball to left.
Collins earned the victory in the opener, as she walked just one, while Ellzy garnered her second save of the season.
Gerhart's multi-RBI performance in the opener was her fourth of the season, and 19th of her career, while Hackett's was her fourth of 2016 and the 11th of her career.
RMU was unable to keep the momentum going into the second game, an affair which was interrupted by the weather in the middle innings.
A hit batter taken by SFU provided the only baserunner of the first inning for either team although Hackett did line out sharply to the second baseman.
The Red Flash took the lead in the second on a leadoff homer.
After RMU went in order in the home half, SFU scored a pair of unearned runs in the third on two singles, a walk, a RMU miscue and a fielder's choice RBI.
A Saint Francis error and a single by Capp gave RMU a chance to get closer in the third, but the next two Colonials were retired.
Two hits, two walks, a hit batter and a sacrifice fly helped SFU score three times in the top of the fourth as the guests scored runs around a delay.
A Saint Francis single accounted for the only baserunner of the next three half-innings.
The Red Flash took a walk and had a single in the sixth but did not score.
Capp doubled to the fence in left center to begin the bottom half, and the Colonials then had two on after an error. A strikeout and two fly balls would end the frame.
Saint Francis put the game away in the seventh by scoring three times on a pair of long balls.
Gerhart doubled to left center to begin the home half, and a SFU error then put two on base. However, RMU was unable to tally another hit in the inning.
Gabelt's sixth homer of the season, and 19th of her career, helped her post her 12th multi-hit game of the season in the opener, the 34th of her career.
Gurganus notched her team-leading 19th multi-hit game in the opener, the 51st of her career, while McCartney contributed the second of her rookie season.
Gerhart continued to climb in the all-time ranks at RMU in multiple categories Sunday. She edged into a tie for fifth in hits (180), a tie for seventh in runs scored (97), a tie for eighth in doubles (26) and a tie for seventh in home runs (17).
Robert Morris will resume action this Wednesday, May 4, against Central Connecticut State.
