HORIZON LEAGUE TOURNAMENT
#5 Green Bay (23-15) vs. #4 RMU (27-19)
Wednesday, May 11 • Noon
Covelli Sports Complex • Youngstown, Ohio
 
TV: ESPN+
Talent: John Herrick (pxp) & Greg Rakestraw (color)
 
Cracker Jack & Sunflower Seeds (Dubble Bubble, Too)
 
- The RMU softball team opens the Horizon League Tournament Wednesday with a Noon first pitch against No. 5 seed Green Bay in Youngstown, Ohio, at YSU Softball Field. The Colonials enter the tournament as the No. 4 seed.
 
- RMU concluded its 2022 regular season by dropping each of its three games to Youngstown State in "home" games played at the YSU Softball Field. The Colonials fell in the opener, 4-2, before dropping both ends of a doubleheader in extra innings. Youngstown State defeated the Colonials, 6-5, in eight innings in the first game before securing a 3-2 triumph in 10 innings in the nightcap.
 
- In a vote of Horizon League head coaches, four Colonials earned postseason accolades. Senior Erika Bell, fifth-year Taylor Rhinehart and freshman Meadow Sacadura were each named to the 2022 #HLSB Second Team, while freshman Alaina Koutsogiani joined Sacadura on the 2022 #HLSB Freshman Team.
 
- Junior Avery Winchell hit .444 (4-for-9) in the three-game series against the Penguins, scoring a pair of runs while smacking a double. Freshman Bailee Bertani also connected for her first NCAA Division I home run in game two of the series against Youngstown State, a two-run shot, becoming the 11th different student-athlete for the Colonials to go yard during the 2022 campaign.
 
- Against Horizon League opposition during the 2022 season, the Colonials have recorded an earned run average (ERA) of 2.29 as a staff, which ranked second in #HLSB to only Oakland (2.05). RMU owns 153 strikeouts in 183.2 innings against league foes this season, with fifth-year Taylor Rhinehart having posted a 3-0 record in 11 games, including two starts, with an 0.74 ERA, two saves and 30 strikeouts in 38 innings.
 
- In her last four appearances from the circle, sophomore Jane Garver is 3-0 with an earned run average (ERA) of 0.98. Each of those appearances she has been the starting pitcher, striking out 15 in 21.1 innings while holding opponents to a .224 batting average.
 
- Among Horizon League leaders, the Colonials rank third in the circuit in both batting average (.257) and earned run average (3.13). Individually, freshman Alaina Koutsogiani leads the Horizon League in stolen bases (37), ranks third in runs (32) and is tied with Jadin Justman of Green Bay for sixth in hits (44).
 
- 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 70-85 (.452) in his tenure at RMU. The Colonials are making their second consecutive appearance in the Horizon League Tournament since joining the league in the summer of 2020. Last year, RMU fell in game one of the tourney to No. 1 seed Youngstown State (5/13) at YSU Softball Field, 7-0, before being eliminated later that day by No. 2 seed Oakland, 5-4.

#HLSB Tournament Links
- Tournament Home
- Video
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
 
The All-Time Series (Green Bay) – Wednesday's Horizon League Tournament opener between RMU and Green Bay marks the eighth meeting between the two programs, with the Phoenix owning a 5-2 (.714) advantage in the all-time series. Green Bay swept a doubleheader from the Colonials at the North Athletic Complex (4/25), both by the score of 3-2. Senior Erika Bell and freshman Meadow Sacadura, each members of the 2022 All-Horizon League Second Team, hit .333 during the double dip, with Sacadura hitting a solo home run in the first game. From the circle, fifth-year Taylor Rhinehart logged eight innings of relief, striking out six and allowing just two hits and one unearned run.
 
The Long Ball – Freshman Bailee Bertani became the 11th student-athlete for the Colonials to hit a home run during the 2022 season when she hit a two-run blast as part of a five-run sixth inning in the opening game of a doubleheader @ Youngstown State (5/8). As a team, RMU owns 25 home runs in 2022, the most by the squad since hitting 33 in 2015. Fifth-year Taylor Rhinehart owns a team-high five roundtrippers, while sophomore Charlotte Grover has gone deep four times.
 
Heating Up – Fifth-year Taylor Rhinehart, who owns the longest hitting streak for the Colonials during the 2022 season at 11 games, is locked in at the right time. In a three-game series against Youngstown State, Rhinehart finished 7-for-8 (.875) at the dish with a run, her team leading fifth home run of the season and three RBI. Rhinehart ignited a five-run rally in game one of a doubleheader against the Penguins with a solo shot to left to lead off the bottom of the sixth as the Colonials scored five runs to tie the contest, 5-5. Rhinehart enters the 2022 #HLSB Tournament having hit safely in each of her last five games, producing multi-hit efforts in four of those contests. During that span she has produced a slash line of .667/.722/.933.
 
Did You Know? Rookies Alaina Koutsogiani and Anna Resnik have been hit by a pitch a total of 20 times during the 2022 campaign. Resnik has been plunked on 11 occasions, which ranks fourth in the Horizon League, while Koutsogiani has been hit by a pitch nine times. It's a key reason why the tandem has combined for 59 runs, the most by a pair of student-athletes for the Colonials since Jordan Gurganus and Olivia Lorusso also combined for 59 runs in 2017.
 
Tight Quarters – Seven of RMU's nine losses during the 2022 campaign against Horizon League competition were decided by two runs or less. Overall during the season the Colonials have posted a record of 14-7 (.667) in games decided by two runs or less, including a mark of 8-7 (.533) against league foes. RMU is 10-0 this year when leading after four innings, 13-1 (.929) after five and a perfect 13-0 when leading after six frames. A key reason is RMU has posted a single-season team record seven saves in 2022, including four from fifth-year Taylor Rhinehart, two from senior Dana Vatakis and one from rookie Madison DeVault.
 
Two Out Lightning – Senior Erika Bell and sophomore Charlotte Grover have combined to drive in 37 runs against Horizon League foes this season, and the duo have done a lot of their damage with two outs. A total of 22 of those RBI (59.4%) have come with two outs, with Bell having driven in 12 and Grover 10. Overall this season, Bell has hit .340 (16-for-47) at the dish in 2022 with two outs with a team-high 16 RBI.

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