Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University softball team wrapped up a four-game road swing Tuesday by dropping a pair of games to Akron at Lee R. Jackson Softball Field in Akron, Ohio.
The Colonials fell in game one, 5-3, before dropping a 12-3 decision in five innings in game two.
RMU has posted an overall record of 13-32 (.289) in 2019.
// GAME ONE // @ Akron // L, 3-5
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Zips scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning before the Colonials got one back in the top half of the second inning. Junior
Taryn Miller doubled with one out and moved to third on a wild pitch from Akron's Adrian Smith. Freshman
Erika Bell followed by driving in Miller with a sacrifice fly to left field. The Zips answered with a run in the home half of the second to grab a 4-1 advantage.
WELCOME BACK
Junior
Natalie Higgins returned to the lineup after missing the previous eight games and immediately made her presence felt, singling in her first at bat of the game in the top of the first. She added a solo shot in the top of the seventh inning for the Colonials, her team leading seventh home run of the season, and finished game one 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Thanks to a 1-for-3 performance in game two, Higgins has fashioned a five-game hitting streak, posting an average of .450 (9-for-20) during that stretch with five runs, five RBI, a double and a pair of home runs.
KEEP ON HITTING
Senior
Abrielle McCartney produced her first three-hit game of the 2019 campaign in game one against the Zips, finishing 3-for-4 with a double and a run. Over the last month, McCartney has raised her batting average 48 points and is now hitting a team-high .314 on the year.
// GAME TWO // @ Akron // L, 3-12 (5)
SEVENTH HEAVEN
Robert Morris grabbed an early 1-0 lead in game two when Miller led off the top of the second with a home run to center on a 3-1 count. It marked her seventh of the 2019 season, moving her into a tie for the team lead with Higgins. The Zips answered by scoring a pair of runs on three hits in the bottom half of the second.
BACK IN FRONT
RMU jumped back in front, 3-2, with a pair of runs in the top of the third. The big hit came courtesy of senior
Taylor Bartlow, who connected for a home run to left to score McCartney. Akron took control of the contest by scoring nine runs on six hits and a pair of errors by Robert Morris in the bottom of the third.
AT THE DISH
Junior
Briana Bunner went 2-for-3 out of the leadoff spot for the Colonials in game two, while McCartney went 1-for-3 with a run. The home run for Bartlow was her third of the year, while Miller was 1-for-1 with a run, RBI and walk.
// ON DECK
Their non-conference schedule now complete, the Colonials will get back to action Saturday, April 27, with a Northeast Conference doubleheader at home against LIU Brooklyn. First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m. The double dip against the Blackbirds opens a six-game homestand at the North Athletic Complex that also includes a makeup twin bill with Sacred Heart Saturday, May 4.
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