Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU softball team opened a four-game series to conclude its 2021 regular season Friday by splitting a doubleheader against Cleveland State at Viking Field in Cleveland, Ohio. The Colonials took game one, 4-3 in eight innings, before dropping a 5-3 decision in the second game.
Thanks to the triumph in the series opener, RMU secured a spot in the 2021 Horizon League Tournament, May 14-15, in Youngstown, Ohio. RMU owns an overall record of 24-16 (.600) on the 2021 season, including a mark of 19-13 (.594) in #HLSB action.
GAME 1 • W, 4-3 (8)
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Vikings jumped in front, 2-0, in the bottom of the first on three hits, taking advantage of an error by RMU to grab an early lead. The Colonials were able to get those runs back and more in the top of the fourth. Sophomore
Avery Winchell jumped on the first pitch from CSU starter Alex Sieger with one out and a pair on and doubled to left center, bringing home freshman
Charlotte Grover with RMU's first run of the contest. Rookie
Catalina Saxen followed with an RBI single to left to tie the game, 2-2, and the Colonials grabbed the lead, 3-2, off the bat of sophomore
Rachael Rhinehart. Also on the first pitch, Rhinehart hit a roller toward the circle. The only play for Sieger was to get the out at first, allowing Winchell to score the go-ahead run.
ANSWERING
Cleveland State (11-35 / 6-28 #HLSB) tied it up in the home half of the fourth off the bat of Becky Hurosky, who worked the count to 2-2 before connecting for a home run to right off RMU starter
Dana Vatakis to open the frame. Vatakis ended up going five innings for the Colonials, allowing just one earned run. She struck out three and walked a pair.
EXTRA EXTRA
As has become a common theme for RMU late this season, playing an eighth inning has suited the Colonials fine recently. Friday was no different. Grover opened the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a fielder's choice by senior
Alaina York. Graduate student
Natalie Higgins followed with a shot to third baseman Kaelin Ettinger, who stepped on the bag for the force out before gunning across the diamond to complete the double play. Winchell followed by working the count full before walking on a wild pitch that not only allowed Winchell to advance to second, but York to score from second to give the Colonials the edge, 4-3. Saxen followed up the wild pitch with a single to left, but the Vikings kept it a one-run game when Aly Packish fired a perfect strike to catcher Courtney Fernette, who tagged Winchell out at home to end the inning.
THE NEWHART SHOW
Rhinehart came on in relief of Vatakis in the bottom of the sixth inning for the Colonials and improved to 8-3 on the season from the circle. She allowed just one hit, which was a leadoff single to Packish in the bottom of the eighth. Packish moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt, but Rhinehart slammed the door by striking out Fernette looking and Hurosky swinging, both on full counts, to end the game. Rhinehart struck out six in her three innings of work and didn't walk a batter. Offensively for RMU, Saxen finished 3-for-4 with an RBI, notching the first three-hit game of her collegiate career.
GAME 1 • L, 3-5
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Despite 11 hits, the most for RMU since collecting 12 in a 10-9 win in game two of a four-game set at Purdue Fort Wayne (4/2), the Colonials fell in the second game, 5-3. The Vikings again struck first, plating a run in the bottom of the first. RMU answered in its next at bat. Saxen opened the frame with a single to left and advanced to third on a single down the right field line from fellow rookie
Faith Miller. Junior
Madison Shiderly, getting the start behind the dish for the Colonials, brought Saxen home and tied the game, 1-1, with a sacrifice fly to center.
EXTRA BASES
Cleveland State finished with eight hits in its game two victory, half of which went for extra bases. Fernette hit a solo shot in the fourth that gave the Vikings the lead for good before Gabby Shackelford broke it open with a pinch-hit two-run double that gave CSU a 4-1 lead. Sydney Bajusz added a solo home run in the fifth to open a 5-1 Cleveland State lead before the Colonials scored a pair in the top of the seventh. The big hit came courtesy of Winchell, who doubled with two outs to score York and freshman
Julia Ehrman. York collected three hits in the second game for RMU, her third three-hit game of the 2021 season.
THE NEW HEART SHOW
Since the beginning of April, 14 of RMU's 18 games have been decided by two runs or less. The Colonials own a record of 11-3 (.786) in that stretch, including nine victories by a single run. Overall during the 2021 campaign, RMU is 12-4 (.750) in one-run games.
UP NEXT
RMU concludes the 2021 regular season Saturday with a doubleheader against Cleveland State at Viking Field. First pitch is scheduled for Noon.
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