GAMES 36-40
Purdue Fort Wayne (7-31 / 6-11 #HLSB) vs. RMU (22-13 / 11-3 #HLSB)
Friday, April 22, 2022 • 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 23, 2022 • 1:00 p.m. (DH)
North Athletic Complex • Moon Township, Pa.
 
Green Bay (16-16 / 8-4 #HLSB) vs. RMU
Monday, April 25, 2022 • 11:00 a.m. (DH)
North Athletic Complex • Moon Township, Pa.
 
Cracker Jack & Sunflower Seeds (Dubble Bubble, Too)
 
- The RMU softball team wraps up an eight-game homestand with five games over the course of three days beginning Friday, April 22. The Colonials will host Purdue Fort Wayne in a three-game series before wrapping up its homestand at the North Athletic Complex with a makeup doubleheader against Green Bay.
 
- The Colonials and Mastodons will play a single game Friday with a first pitch at 3:00 p.m. before concluding the set with a doubleheader at 1:00 p.m. Saturday. RMU and Green Bay, which had a three-game series last month postponed, shortened to a doubleheader and postponed again (twice) will meet Monday at the North Athletic Complex for an 11:00 a.m. doubleheader.
 
- Oakland, Cleveland State and RMU each own 11 conference wins thus far during the 2022 season. The Golden Grizzlies sit atop the #HLSB standings thanks to a .917 winning percentage (11-1), followed by the Colonials (.786) and Vikings (.733). At 8-4 (.667) in league play, Green Bay sits in fourth place, a game-and-a-half in front of Youngstown State (8-7) heading into a three-game set with the Penguins this weekend.
 
- RMU enters its series with the Mastodons having won four consecutive games after earning a three-game sweep of IUPUI last weekend at the North Athletic Complex. The Colonials swept a doubleheader by the scores of 3-1 and 4-3 before earning a 1-0 victory on Easter Sunday to conclude the series sweep.
 
- Redshirt freshman catcher Meadow Sacadura hit .444 (4-for-9) with two runs, two RBI and her first NCAA Division I home run in the three-game series against the Jaguars. Her solo shot in the sixth inning of game two put RMU on the board and trimmed its deficit to 3-1 before the Colonials earned a walk-off victory with three runs in the seventh inning.
 
- In eight games at the North Athletic Complex during the 2022 season, the Colonials have been outscored, 32-15, in the first five innings by opponents but have outscored their foes, 11-3, in the sixth and seventh innings.
 
- Senior pitcher Dana Vatakis was named Horizon League Pitcher of the Week (4/19) for the second time during the 2022 season after earning a win and a save in the series against IUPUI. She pitched eight innings, yielding four hits and a pair of walks while striking out 10.
 
- RMU enters action this weekend tied for second in the Horizon League in batting average (.257) while ranking third in earned run average (3.39). Green Bay tops the circuit in hitting with a slash line of .269/.361/.437 while Youngstown State owns top marks in the league from the pitching circle in ERA (2.96), strikeouts (305) and innings pitched (291.1).
 
- In conference play, Green Bay leads the league in batting average (.300), with RMU (.299) sitting second and Purdue Fort Wayne (.271) fourth. The Colonials have scored 80 runs against Horizon League foes, tops in the league, while also topping the leaderboard in doubles (25), home runs (14), RBI (69) and total bases (201).
 
- 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 65-79 (.451) in his tenure at RMU.
 
- RMU travels to Rochester, Mich., to take on Oakland in a three-game series after concluding its eight-game homestand. The Colonials and Golden Grizzlies square off Friday, Friday, April 29, and Saturday, April 30.

PURDUE FORT WAYNE LINKS
- Live Stats
- Video (G1 - 4/22/22)
- Video (G2 - 4/23/22)
- Video (G3 - 4/23/22)

GREEN BAY LINKS
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
 
The All-Time Series (Purdue Fort Wayne) – RMU leads the all-time series against the Mastodons, 5-3 (.625), after taking three of four from Purdue Fort Wayne last season. Sophomore Jane Garver pitched a complete game in the third game of the series, a 4-3 win, allowing just two earned runs while striking out a career-high 10, while junior Rachael Rhinehart finished 2-0 from the circle in three appearances, including one start. Rhinehart pitched 9.1 innings, striking out seven to go along with 2.25 earned run average (ERA) and a save.
 
Close Encounters – RMU is coming off a three-game sweep of IUPUI in which its offense scored a total of eight runs. To put that in perspective, the Colonials posted a 10-2 win @ Detroit Mercy (3/17) in its 2022 Horizon League opener. So far this season, RMU owns a record of 13-2 (.867) in games decided by two runs or less. In addition, the Colonials have recorded a mark of 12-2 (.857) in games in which they hit at least one home run.
 
Saved By The Bell – Senior Erika Bell enters action this weekend tied for fourth in the Horizon League in doubles (8) during the 2022 season while also tied for fifth in the conference in RBI (21). Bell has reached base safely in each of RMU's eight games at the North Athletic Complex, part of a streak in which she has reached base in 17 consecutive games. That's the longest stretch by a member of the Colonials since 2015, when former outfielder Kristen Gabelt (2013-16) turned the trick in 18 consecutive games. The last RMU student-athlete to reach base in 20 straight games occurred in 2011, when Maritza Jimenez (2010-13) posted a streak of 23 consecutive games.  
 
Cashing In – RMU has taken advantage of its opportunities this season with runners in scoring position, as the Colonials enter their series with Purdue Fort Wayne this weekend hitting .466 (41-for-88) with a runner on third and less than two outs. Senior Erika Bell has been almost automatic, going 7-for-9 (.778) at the dish in such opportunities, while sophomore Charlotte Grover is hitting .625 (5-for-8) in the same instances. Overall during the 2022 campaign, RMU is hitting .276 (94-for-340) with a runner in scoring position while holding opponents to an average of .251 (73-for-for-291).

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