Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU softball team opened its 2022 season Friday, sweeping a pair of games from North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C., at the Aggie Softball Complex, both of which came in extra innings. The Colonials earned a 2-0 victory in game one in eight innings before posting a come-from-behind victory, 5-3 in eight innings, in the second contest.
GAME 1 • W, 2-0 (8)
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
A year after playing seven games in extra innings, the Colonials wasted no time playing free softball in their 2022 season opener. Freshman
Alaina Koutsogiani opened the top of the eighth with a walk and promptly stole second. Graduate student
Alaina York followed by singling to short, setting RMU up with two on and no outs. Speed became a factor again, as after sophomore
Meadow Sacadura fouled out to right, Koutsogiani advanced to third. York followed by stealing second, and after sophomore
Charlotte Grover struck out, junior
Avery Winchell drew a walk. The pitch from S'nyiah Stinson, however, was wild, allowing Koutsogiani to score the eventual game-winning run. On the same play, York came around to score an insurance run.
V IS FOR VICTORY
The two runs would be all that Opening Day starter
Dana Vatakis would need. The senior twirled a complete game, scattering just four hits, walking a pair and striking out eight. Vatakis induced 11 groundouts in the contest, and only two runners reached scoring position for the Aggies. In the bottom of the third, Eternal Fuller singled, moved to second on a passed ball and stole third with one out. Vatakis was able to strike out Jazzmaine Hammond before Alyxx Estrada grounded out to second to end the threat. In the bottom of the fourth, Kendall McCauley stole second after singling with one out, but Vatakis struck out Desttany Parker before Jocelyn Bennett grounded out to second after McCauley pilfered third. The eight strikeouts for Vatakis were just one off her career high of nine.
EXTRA EXTRA
The extra inning victory marked the first for the Colonials on Opening Day since 1991, when RMU posted a 4-3 triumph in nine innings over Loyola Chicago (3/4) in Orlando, Fla., as part of the Rebel Games. RMU also improved to 18-14 (.563) in season openers since 1991.
GAME 2 • W, 5-3 (8)
HERE WE GO AGAIN
Playing extra innings in the season opener was so much fun, the Colonials decided to do it again in the nightcap against the Aggies. It marks the first time on record in program history RMU opened a season with back-to-back extra inning contests. The Colonials improved to 8-5 (.615) under fourth-year head coach
Jexx Varner when going to extra innings but have won seven of their last nine games that last longer than seven innings.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Colonials had to come-from-behind in the second game to open the year 2-0 for the second consecutive year. Trailing, 2-1, heading into its final at bat, RMU scratched a run across the plate to tie it, 2-2, and send the game to extra innings. Junior
Rachael Rhinehart opened the inning with a walk and moved up to second on a wild pitch. Pinch hitter
Erika Bell struck out for the Colonials, but Rhinehart advanced to third on another wild pitch from Mariah Headen. She was brought home by Koutsogiani, who hit a sacrifice fly to center for her first collegiate RBI.
EXTRA BASES
In the top of the eighth, the Colonials struck again.
Taylor Rhinehart opened the frame with a double to center, which helped chase Headen. Sharla Kirkpatrick came on in relief for the Aggies, with freshman
Anna Resnik pinch running for Rhinehart. The first batter Kirkpatrick would face was Grover, who promptly singled to center to drive in Resnik and give RMU the lead, 3-2.
Rachael Rhinehart gave the Colonials some insurance with another single up the middle, driving home Grover to push the advantage to 4-2. RMU added its final run on an RBI groundout from Bell, which scored Winchell.
RHINESTONE COWBOYS
In her RMU debut from the circle,
Taylor Rhinehart struck out nine in five innings, allowing a pair of runs on three hits. She also finished 2-for-4 at the dish with her first home run as a member of the Colonials, which opened the scoring with two outs in the contest. Earning the win from the circle was
Rachael Rhinehart, who pitched three innings in relief of her sister. She allowed a solo home run to Icess Tresvik with one out in the bottom of the eighth but got Kendall McCauley to fly out to left before clinching the win on a groundout to first by Dezianna Patmon.
KAJAGOOGOO
Out of the leadoff spot for the Colonials in her collegiate debut, Koutsogiani was in the middle of rallies in both games. She reached base safely three times thanks to a hit and two walks, stole a pair of bases and drove home the tying run in the second game with a sacrifice fly.
UP NEXT
RMU continues play in the North Carolina A&T / Howard Round Robin Saturday with a pair of games. The Colonials will face Howard at 9:30 a.m. at the Aggie Softball Complex before facing North Carolina A&T for the final time this weekend at Noon.
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