RMU (23-15 / 18-12 Horizon League) @ Cleveland State (10-34 / 5-27 Horizon League)
Friday, May 7, 2021 • 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 8, 2021 • Noon
Viking Field • Cleveland, Ohio
 
Cracker Jack & Sunflower Seeds
 
- The RMU softball team concludes the 2021 regular season with a four-game set on the road, traveling to Cleveland, Ohio, for a pair of doubleheaders with Cleveland State at Viking Field. First pitch Friday, May 7, is slated for 3:00 p.m., while the two teams will meet Saturday, May 8, beginning at Noon.
 
- The Colonials sit in fourth place in the Horizon League standings, trailing Oakland (19-12 #HLSB) by a game. Youngstown State sits in first place in the league standings with a 26-6 (.813) league record and will host the 2021 Horizon League Softball Tournament, while UIC is in second place at 23-11 (.676).
 
- RMU owns a three-game lead over Green Bay (16-16 #HLSB) entering action this weekend. The Phoenix occupy fifth place in the Horizon League standings and close their 2021 campaign with a four-game series at home against IUPUI, which is 10-21 (.323) against conference opposition.
 
- The Colonials had their four-game series with Northern Kentucky last weekend at the North Athletic Complex canceled due to a positive COVID-19 test within the RMU program and related safety concerns.
 
- RMU split a pair of doubleheaders with Youngstown State at the North Athletic Complex in its last time on the diamond, earning a pair of walk-off victories in extra innings. The Colonials fell in game one of each doubleheader, 3-0, before earning a 6-5 win in eight innings Friday, April 23, and a 2-1 triumph in eight innings Saturday, April 24.
 
- Graduate student Madison Riggle hit .385 (5-for-13) in the four-game series with Youngstown State, slashing a triple and drilling a home run while scoring twice and driving in a pair. She lifted the Colonials to the second walk-off victory in the series, singling in the bottom of the eighth to score junior Erika Bell with the winning run in a 2-1 triumph.
 
- Freshman Charlotte Grover played hero in the nightcap of game two of the series against Youngstown State, as her single to right brought home fellow rookies Catalina Saxen and Faith Miller with the tying and winning runs in a 6-5 victory.
 
- Junior Dana Vatakis posted a 1.83 earned run average (ERA) in two starts against Youngstown State, striking out 12 in 15.1 innings from the circle. She allowed just two extra base hits, with the Penguins hitting just .148.
 
- RMU is one of three teams in the Horizon League to have hit 30 home runs on the season, ranking third in the circuit behind Purdue Fort Wayne (36) and UIC (31). The RMU team record for home runs is 40, which came in 2008.
 
- Graduate student Natalie Higgins ranks second in the Horizon League in batting average (.417), hits (53), home runs (9), RBI (40), slugging percentage (.717) and on-base percentage (.468).

CLEVELAND STATE LINKS
- Video (5/7/21 - G1)
- Video (5/7/21 - G2)
- Video (5/8/21 - G1)
- Video (5/8/21 - G2)
- Live Stats
 
The All-Time Series (Cleveland State) – The Colonials and Vikings meet for the second time during the 2021 season this weekend, with RMU having swept a mid-week doubleheader from Cleveland State earlier this season at the North Athletic Complex. The Colonials won both games in five innings, earning a 10-2 victory in game one and a 14-6 triumph in game two. In the all-time series, Cleveland State owns a 25-18 (.581) advantage.  
 
It Takes Just One – RMU owns a record of 11-4 (.733) in one-run games during the 2021 season after winning both of its games against Youngstown State in walk-off fashion. In their last 20 games dating back to the beginning of the 2020 season the Colonials have posted a record of 16-4 (.800) in one-run contests.
 
April Showers Bring May Flowers – Graduate student Natalie Higgins hit .418 (23-for-55) during the month of April, leading the Colonials in runs (12), doubles (4), home runs (5) and RBI (12). She enters play this weekend at Cleveland State with a slugging percentage of .717. No RMU student-athlete on record in program history has recorded a slugging percentage higher than .700.
 
Peppermint Patty – Senior Alaina York hit safely in each of the final three games of the series against Youngstown State at the North Athletic Complex, which helped her wrap up the month of April with a .318 average (14-for-44). She scored seven runs during the month and was also true on both of her stolen base attempts. York enters the final series of the 2021 regular season @ Cleveland State having hit safely in 13 of her last 18 games, registering four multi-efforts during that stretch.
 
Round And Round – Graduate student Natalie Higgins leads the Colonials in home runs this season with nine and is just one more stroll around the bases of becoming the fourth student-athlete in program history to reach double digits in round-trippers. The RMU single-season record for home runs was set in 2003 by former Colonial Kali Byers (2003-06), who launched 11. In 2009, Jaci Timko (2009-12) hit 10 home runs, while eight years later Olivia Lorusso (2015-18) also connected for 10 during her junior season in 2017. 

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