Youngstown, Ohio – The RMU softball team opened play in the 2022 Horizon League Tournament Wednesday at YSU Softball Field, falling to No. 5 seed Green Bay, 3-2, before winning the elimination game against the No. 3 seed Penguins, 4-2, in come-from-behind fashion. In picking up their first #HLSB Tournament triumph in program history, the Colonials improved to 28-20 (.583) during the 2022 campaign.
GAME 1 • L, 2-3 • vs. #5 Green Bay
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
RMU grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third, as fifth-year
Taylor Rhinehart lofted a ball down the line in right that Green Bay's Jadin Justman dove to try to corral but was unable to. Rhinehart trotted all the way to third for a triple and in the process scored senior
Erika Bell, who had walked. The score remained that way until the top of the fifth, when the Phoenix rallied with two outs.
ANSWERING
RMU starter
Jane Garver opened the fifth by striking out Isabella Curtin looking and Randi McKay swinging before running the count full against Green Bay leadoff hitter Tiffany Giese. Giese eventually drew a walk and advanced to second on an infield single from Katie Joten. The runners also advanced 60 feet due to a throwing error, and Samantha Saloun capitalized, ripping a two-run double to left center to push the Phoenix on top, 2-1. Senior
Dana Vatakis came on in relief of Garver, and after Crystal Guzman came on to pinch run, Justman singled down the line in left to add another run for Green Bay.
OPPORTUNITIES
The Colonials had a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the fifth but couldn't push a run across, and in the bottom of the sixth a double from redshirt freshman
Meadow Sacadura followed a single to left by sophomore
Charlotte Grover to open the inning. Green Bay starter Brittany Baneck induced a groundout to short of freshman
Bailee Bertani before junior
Avery Winchell singled to left, bringing home the second run of the contest for RMU. Pinch hitter
Faith Miller walked to load the bases, but Baneck got out of the jam, striking out pinch hitter
Rachael Rhinehart before getting freshman
Alaina Koutsogiani to fly out to left to end the threat. RMU went down in order in the seventh to secure the win for the Phoenix, despite a deep drive down the line in right from Bell to open the frame that was hauled in at the warning track by Curtin.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Sacadura and Winchell each went 2-for-3 for the Colonials against Green Bay, while
Taylor Rhinehart extended her hitting streak to six games with her triple in the third. Baneck tossed a complete game for the Phoenix to improve to 12-10 overall on the year, helping Green Bay advance to Friday with a Noon first pitch against No. 1 seed Oakland.
GAME 2 • W, 4-2 • @ #3 Youngstown State
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Penguins fell in game two of the tournament, 1-0, to No. 6 seed Northern Kentucky, setting up an elimination game between RMU and Youngstown State, which had just completed a three-game series three days prior at YSU Softball Field to conclude the 2022 regular season. The Penguins jumped in front in the home half of the third, when Megan Turner fouled off a pitch from
Taylor Rhinehart and swung through another before connecting for a two-run home run to right to help give YSU a 2-0 advantage. Getting the nod in the circle for the Penguins was Elle Buffenbarger, who held the Colonials off the board until the fourth inning. Rhinehart came through again at the dish for RMU, singling to left to stretch her hitting streak to seven games to score Winchell, who opened the inning by getting plunked.
CHIPPING AWAY
Bell picked up her third walk of the #HLSB Tournament to open the top of the sixth for RMU and moved to second on a wild pitch. Rhinehart followed by watching the first two pitches from Buffenbarger miss the zone before lacing a double to right to put ducks on the pond for Sacadura. The rookie fouled the first pitch off before pushing the count in her favor with a pair that missed the zone, then lined a ball to left that was deep enough to score Bell with the tying run.
BREAK ON THROUGH
Freshman
Anna Resnik opened the top of the seventh with a single to center, and fifth-year
Alaina York followed with a sacrifice to advance Resnik, but Nikki Saibene misplayed the bunt, allowing York to reach. It was the opening the Colonials needed, as Koutsogiani moved the runners up with a sacrifice bunt of her own before Winchell singled to score Resnik. York tried to add an insurance run for RMU but was thrown out at the plate by Yazmine Romero. Bell made sure the Colonials tacked on another run, doubling down the line in right to bring home Winchell.
LOCK DOWN
Freshman
Madison DeVault earned the win in relief of
Taylor Rhinehart, allowing just a walk in two innings. She struck Grace Cea looking to end the contest, improving to 4-4 overall on the year from the circle. Rhinehart finished 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Colonials in the win over the Penguins, while Winchell added another hit to her tally, finishing 1-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
UP NEXT
Following Oakland taking on Green Bay tomorrow at Noon, Northern Kentucky will face No. 2 seed Cleveland State with a 2:30 p.m. first pitch. The Colonials will take to the diamond at 5:00 p.m., facing the loser of either game four or game five that is the lowest seed.
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