Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU softball team traveled to Green Bay, Wisc., for its first Horizon League road series of the 2023 season campaign, splitting a doubleheader with Green Bay Friday at King Park. The Colonials earned a 6-0 triumph in the opener before falling, 5-4, in the second game. RMU owns an overall record of 10-14 (.417) during the 2023 season, including 2-2 (.500) in the Horizon League.
GAME 1 • W, 6-0
GROOVY
Fifth-year
Dana Vatakis seems to be hitting her stride at the right time, as she notched her second consecutive complete game in improving to 2-0 against #HLSB opposition in the opener Friday against the Phoenix. In throwing 117 pitches she scattered five hits and walked one while striking out five. In two starts against Horizon League foes, Vatakis has yet to yield an earned run while striking out nine. Overall this season Vatakis owns a record of 4-6 from the circle.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
RMU got the first run of the ball game in the top of the fourth on a throwing error, with junior
Charlotte Grover, who walked with one out before moving to third on a pair of wild pitches, scampering home on a steal from junior
Kinsey Ventura. RMU manufactured an insurance run in the top of the sixth, as sophomore
Alaina Koutsogiani led off with a single, swiped second and came home on an RBI single from Grover.
TWO OUT LIGHTNING
RMU did the majority of its damage offensively down to its last out in the top of the seventh. Junior
Julia Ehrman and sophomore
Anna Resnik posted back-to-back singles before Koutsogiani reached on a fielder's choice. The bases loaded, senior
Avery Winchell brought home the third run of the contest with a free pass, while Grover sealed the victory. Her double to right center cleared the bases and was also her third hit of the contest.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Grover, who leads the Colonials this season with six multi-hit efforts, became the second RMU student-athlete this season to record a three-hit game. She finished 3-for-3 with a run and a career-high four RBI. The top four hitters in the lineup combined to finish 5-for-14 at the plate, scoring five runs and driving in five.
GAME 2 • L, 4-5
PHOENIX RISING
Green Bay (9-19 / 1-3 #HLSB) jumped on top early, 1-0, in the bottom of the first before adding three more in the second to open up a 4-0 advantage. Jadin Justman came up with the big hit in the second, doubling to bring home a pair, while Paige Hanson followed with another double to score Justman.
CHIPPING AWAY
In the fourth the two teams traded runs as Green Bay grabbed a 5-1 lead, but the Colonials came back, closing to within 5-4 with three runs in the top of the fifth. Grover was again in the middle of the rally, as her single through the left side scored Koutsogiani to make it 5-3. Winchell, who opened the scoring in the frame for RMU with an RBI single up the middle, made it a one-run game by scoring on a groundout from redshirt sophomore
Meadow Sacadura.
OPPORTUNITIES
RMU put the tying run in scoring position in both the top of the sixth and seventh innings, but Kelly Greene was able to keep the Colonials off the board. Ehrman singled with one out in the sixth and got into scoring position by stealing second, but Greene got Resnik and Koutsogiani to ground out to end the threat. Winchell opened the top of the seventh with a walk and also got into scoring position with a theft of second with one out, but Greene buckled down and struck out Sacadura before getting Ventura to ground out to end the game.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Hitting out of the leadoff spot, Resnik stretched her streak of consecutive games safely reaching base Friday to 11. She finished 1-for-4 with a run in the opener and despite failing to get a hit in the second game earned a pair of free passes and scored a run. Grover, meanwhile, finished the double dip 5-for-7 (.714) with two runs and five RBI.
UP NEXT
RMU and Green Bay will conclude its three-game series Saturday, March 25, with a 1:00 p.m. first pitch from Kings Park.
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