Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University softball team lost a pair of Northeast Conference games to Bryant, 7-6 and 5-3, at North Athletic Complex Saturday afternoon. The result moves the Colonials record to 10-28 overall and 1-7 in the NEC while Bryant improves to 12-23 and 6-4 in league.
 
Abrielle McCartney, Natalie Higgins, Kristen Pray and Briana Bunner each collected two hits on the day. McCartney and Higgins each had a trio of runs batted in while Taryn Miller collected two RBIs. Five of the Colonials 12 hits were doubles. Kaitlin Ellzy saw action in the circle in both games, finishing the day with eight innings of work while allowing just two earned runs.
 
The Bulldogs opened the day's action with two runs in the first as Rachel Monroe and Jessica Gradillas recorded RBIs. In the Colonials half of the inning, Taryn Miller dropped a double inside the right field corner to tie the game as McCartney and Bunner crossed the plate.
 
After three scoreless innings, Bryant pulled back in front when a pair of errors allowed Morgan Powell to score on a single by Gradillas. Another miscue brought in Gradillas later in the frame. Once again, the Colonials had the answer in the bottom of the frame as Natalie Higgins lifted a sacrifice fly to right that allowed Kristen Pray to trot home.
 
Marianna Politis led off the sixth with a homer and the Bulldogs stretched their lead to 6-3 when Kaleigh Goulart doubled off the center field fence. Robert Morris was not done, however, and rallied to score three times in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs and two on, Higgins laced a two-run single to center that brought the Colonials to within one. After a single by McCartney, Miller's grounder to short was misplayed and allowed pinch-runner Lacee Collins to score the tying run.
 
Bryant scored the gamewinning run in the eighth. A walk and a sacrifice bunt brought up pinch-hitter Robyn Ukegawa who knocked in the game's difference-making run with a single to left field.
 
In the nightcap, the Bulldogs once again took the lead in the first and never looked back as Rachel Monroe's unearned run made it 1-0. An error led to two more unearned scores for the visiting squad in the third.
 
Robert Morris chipped into the lead in the bottom of the frame. Back-to-back singles by Bunner and Lorusso turned into a pair of runs when McCartney single through the right side to cut the margin to 3-2.
 
The teams traded runs in the fifth inning, Gradillas homering for Bryant and McCartney's groundout, her third RBI of the game, allowing Pray to score. The Bulldogs added an insurance run in the sixth to hold on for the 5-3 win.
 
The Colonials host Central Connecticut in a Noon doubleheader Sunday, April 22.