Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU softball team concluded a three-game series with Purdue Fort Wayne Saturday, securing a series win with a 7-2 victory at the North Athletic Complex. The Colonials evened their overall record during the 2023 season at 18-18 (.500) while improving to 8-5 (.615) in the Horizon League.
THE OPENER
RMU grabbed the early lead, 1-0, in the bottom of the second. Sophomore
Alaina Koutsogiani picked up her third extra base hit of the series and team-high eighth double of the year to lead off the frame and advanced to third on a groundout to second from sophomore
Jess Matheny. Junior
Faith Miller followed by lifting a sacrifice fly to left to score Koutsogiani.
THE CLOSER
RMU erupted for four in the fourth on four hits while also taking advantage of a pair of errors by the Mastodons. Koutsogiani and Miller ignited the rally again, with Koustogiani driving home the first run with an RBI groundout that scored junior
Charlotte Grover, who opened the inning with a single to center. Two batters later Miller laced a double to left center that scored pinch runner
Mackenzie Hoover, while pinch hitter
Catalina Saxen lifted a two-run double down the line in right that brought home both Miller and sophomore
Logan Black.
QUOTABLE
"We had better at bats and better approaches," RMU head coach
Jexx Varner said. "That's ultimately what this is all about. Whether it's in a game or in a series or whether it's in a tournament. Those adjustments are a big thing. It's a matter of everybody doing their job and passing the bat on to the next person. That's the biggest part of who we are as an offense. Sometimes when you try to go above and beyond that, that's when you're trying to do too much. We have a deep lineup when we're executing like we did today."
LOCK THE VAULT
Sophomore
Madison DeVault continued her dominance at the North Athletic Complex Saturday, striking out seven in six innings to garner the win and improve to 7-7 overall during the year from the circle. She opened the game by setting down the first eight Purdue Fort Wayne hitters before Bailey Manos reached on an error. Taryn Jenkins followed with the first hit of the game for the Mastodons, but Devault struck out Taylor Warne to end the inning. It was one of three times she set down Warne on strikes during the contest. In the sixth, Purdue Fort Wayne (16-22 / 8-6 #HLSB) loaded the bases, including an 11-pitch at bat from Brayden Lickey that resulted in a single to right, but DeVault got out of the jam by inducing a flyout to center by Brooke Lickey.
QUOTABLE
"(Madison) was unbelievable," Varner said. "I told her at the end of the sixth that on every other occasion I would let her finish, but she was gassed after those last three batters. She threw 20+ pitches to the last three hitters. She really was able to make some adjustments that she was working through from the Youngstown State series, and I think her performance shows the depth that we have in our rotation. We can throw any one of our three pitchers out there and know that they can put a dominant performance together at any point and on a regular basis. That bodes well for us."
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Since allowing two earned runs in the top of the fifth against Detroit Mercy (3/16), DeVault has logged 25.1 shutout innings at the North Athletic Complex. Over her last five appearances at home, including three starts, DeVault is 3-0 and has struck out 23 while holding opponents to a batting average of .179. Just one of the 15 hits that she's allowed in that span has gone for extra bases, which was a double in the top of the seventh to Allison Smith of Detroit Mercy.
UP NEXT
RMU heads to Loretto, Pa., for a non-conference doubleheader against Saint Francis Tuesday, April 18, at 1:00 p.m.
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