Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU softball team opened the Winthrop Invitational Friday with a pair of victories, earning an 8-5 triumph over Ball State at Terry Field in Rock Hill, S.C., before posting a 6-2 win over Albany. The Colonials improved to 6-1 (.857) on the 2022 season.
GAME 1 vs. Ball State • W, 8-5
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
RMU scored a run in the top half of each of the first and second innings and added three more in the fourth to grab a 5-0 lead. Freshman
Alaina Koutsogiani opened the contest with a walk and stole second before coming around to score on an RBI single from
Taylor Rhinehart for the first run of the contest. In the second inning the Colonials added an unearned run and plated three more in the fourth. Sophomore
Charlotte Grover and freshman
Anna Resnik led off the frame with back-to-back singles before sophomore
Avery Winchell loaded the bases with a bunt single. Ball State starter Deborah Jones battled back to get two outs before a fielding error by right fielder Hannah Dukeman cleared the bases, allowing three runs to score.
FROSTY
Resnik was one of three Colonials to record a multi-hit effort against the Cardinals as the bottom half of the order collected eight of RMU's nine hits. She finished 3-for-4 with a pair of runs and an RBI out of the seventh spot in the win, while Winchell and sophomore
Julia Ehrman each went 2-for-4 hitting eighth and ninth, respectively.
ON THE BOARD
Ball State got on the board with a run in the fourth and added four more in the bottom of the sixth off RMU starter
Dana Vatakis (2-0). Amaia Daniel hit a three-run home run with two outs and Samantha-Jo Mata followed with a solo shot to left to pull the Cardinals to within 8-5. Vatakis was able to get the final out of the inning by inducing a fly ball to center from Jazmyne Aremendariz. Rhinehart came on in the seventh to nail down her second save of the 2022 campaign, yielding a leadoff single before recording the final three outs. Vatakis allowed six hits in her six innings of work, striking out five and allowing just one walk.
GAME 2 vs. Albany • W, 6-2
JUMP START
A key to the successful start to the season for the Colonials has been grabbing an early lead, and that was no different in the first inning of RMU's second game against the Great Danes Friday. The Colonials plated a pair of runs courtesy of RBI singles from Rhinehart and Bell to take an early 2-0 advantage. Through the first seven games of the 2022 season, RMU has outscored its opponent, 9-1, in the first inning.
POWERBALL
Bell came to the plate in the second inning with two on and two out after her RBI single in the first and promptly connected for her first home run of the 2022 season to give the Colonials a commanding 5-0 advantage. The long ball came off Albany starter Wendi Hammond, who was chased after three innings and allowing five hits and three walks. Bell greeted reliever Amelia Freitas with another round tripper with two outs in the fourth inning, a solo home run. Out of the cleanup spot, Bell finished 3-for-4 with a pair of runs and five RBI in the triumph over the Great Danes.
CENTRAL PERK
The early outburst by the Colonials would be all that starter
Rachael Rhinehart would need, as she allowed just three hits and a pair of walks in the complete-game effort. In striking out seven, Rhinehart improved to 3-0 on the 2022 season with a pair of compete games. She's allowed just five hits and three earned runs in 15 innings, posting an earned run average (ERA) of 1.40.
UP NEXT
RMU continues action in the Winthrop Invitational with a pair of games at Terry Field Saturday. The Colonials take on Towson at 10:00 a.m. before meeting the host Eagles at 3:00 p.m.
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