GAMES 27-29
Cleveland State (9-15 / 5-1 #HLSB) vs. RMU (16-10 / 5-0 #HLSB)
Saturday, April 2, 2022 • 2:00 p.m. (DH)
Sunday, April 3, 2022 • Noon
North Athletic Complex • Moon Township, Pa.
 
Cracker Jack & Sunflower Seeds (Dubble Bubble, Too)
 
- The RMU softball team welcomes Cleveland State to the North Athletic Complex for a three-game series this weekend, opening with a doubleheader Saturday, April 2, at 2:00 p.m. before concluding the set Sunday, April 3, at Noon.
 
- The Colonials have opened league play 5-0 for the first time since 2017. The last time RMU won each of its first six conference games came in 2015, when the Colonials opened Northeast Conference (NEC) play 11-0.
 
- RMU is coming off a 7-2 setback @ Pitt (3/30) in midweek action. Senior Erika Bell extended her hitting streak to eight games by going 2-for-2 with a run and two walks.
 
- Matching Bell's eight-game hitting streak against the Panthers was fifth-year Taylor Rhinehart, who finished 1-for-4 with an RBI. The eight-game surge for Bell and Rhinehart is the longest of the season by a member of the Colonials.
 
- RMU enters action this weekend ranked second in the Horizon League in batting average (.258) and third in earned run average (4.00). On the basepaths, the Colonials own a league-high 41 stolen bases (in 43 attempts for a 95.3% success rate) and from the circle lead the circuit in shutouts (3).
 
- Against #HLSB foes, RMU is tops in the conference in batting average (.363), on-base percentage (.419) and slugging (.570) while also owning league-high marks in runs (49), doubles (16), triples (3) and RBI (40).
 
- In their last action in league play, the Colonials swept a doubleheader @ UIC (3/25), outscoring the Flames, 21-8, in the two games. In the two victories, rookies Alaina Koutsogiani and Anna Resnik each went 5-for-10 (.500), with Koutsogiani scoring five runs, driving in four, hitting the first two home runs of her NCAA Division I career and stealing three bases.
 
- In a poll of Horizon League head coaches, RMU was picked to finish fourth in the 2022 preseason poll. Tabbed as the favorite was Oakland, which was followed by Youngstown State and UIC. The Colonials are led by head coach Jexx Varner, who is in his fourth season at the helm of the program. He has posted a record of 61-77 (.442) in his tenure at RMU.
 
- The Colonials travel to Highland Heights, Ky., for a three-game series with Northern Kentucky after hosting the Vikings this weekend. RMU will then return to the North Athletic Complex for a 10-game homestand after tussling with the Norse. Weather pending, of course.

CLEVELAND STATE LINKS
- Video (Game 1)
- Video (Game 2)
- Video (Game 3)
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
- 2022 Schedule
 
The All-Time Series (Cleveland State) – The first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Vikings marks the 50th meeting in the all-time series between RMU and Cleveland State. The two programs met six times last season, with the Colonials winning four, but the Vikings own a 27-20 (.551) edge overall. In each of the three doubleheaders between the two teams last season, RMU earned a win in game one. The Colonials outscored the Vikings, 40-22, in six games last year.
 
Picture In A Frame – A key reason the Colonials enter their three-game set with Cleveland State this weekend with one of the top offenses in the Horizon League? Getting on base to begin the inning. RMU is hitting .433 (77-for-178) this season when leading off an inning, including an even .500 (42-for-84) when one its top four hitters in the lineup, which includes rookies Alaina Koutsogiani and Anna Resnik, senior Erika Bell and fifth-year Taylor Rhinehart, start a frame. The Colonials also have done a good job of taking advantage of the opportunities that RMU opens an inning by getting on base, hitting an even .500 (34-for-68) with a runner on third and less than two outs as well as .305 (78-for-256) with a runner in scoring position.
 
The DMV – Senior Dana Vatakis was named the #HLSB Pitcher of the Week (3/29) after not allowing an earned run in eight innings last week, becoming the third RMU student-athlete to earn a weekly award during the 2022 season from the Horizon League. Vatakis has retired 48 consecutive batters without handing out a walk entering a three-game set with Cleveland State this weekend and against league opposition is 2-0 with a pair of complete games. She has allowed just one earned run on eight hits in 14 innings (0.50 ERA), striking out 13.
 
Record Breaker – Another game, another swipe. Freshman Alaina Koutsogiani is arguably already the most dynamic baserunner in program history in just half a season as a member of the Colonials. The rookie established a program single-season record in stolen bases in RMU's 24th game of the 2022 campaign with her 24th of the year, a theft of home on a double steal in an 8-1 win @ UIC (3/25) that gave the Colonials a 2-0 lead. She added two more steals @ Pitt (3/30) and enters Saturday's double dip against Cleveland State with 10 stolen bases in her last six games. Koutsogiani, who has been successful on each of her last 19 attempts dating back to February, leads the Horizon League with 27 steals in 26 games (1.04 per contest). Having broken the RMU single-season mark of 23 held by Kelli Miller (1990-93), which was originally established in 1990, Koutsogiani is on pace to conclude the regular season with 53 stolen bases, which would rank second in the career record book behind Miller's 58.

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