GAMES 43-45
RMU (21-21 / 11-8 #HLSB) @ Cleveland State (15-29 / 11-9 #HLSB)
Friday, May 5, 2023 • 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 6, 2023 • 1:00 p.m. (DH)
Viking Field • Cleveland, Ohio
 
Cracker Jack & Sunflower Seeds (Dubble Bubble, Too)
 
- The RMU softball team wraps up its 2023 regular season with a three-game series in Cleveland, Ohio, against Cleveland State. The Colonials and Vikings open the series Friday, May 5, with a single game at 3:00 p.m. at Viking Field before a doubleheader Saturday, May 6, beginning with a 1:00 p.m. first pitch.
 
- A total of two-and-a-half games separate the top seven teams in the Horizon League heading into the final weekend of the regular season. The top six qualify for the 2023 Horizon League Championships, with the teams finishing first and second in the standings each earning a bye.
 
- RMU enters its series @ Cleveland State in third place in the league standings, a half game in front of the Vikings. At 12-6 (.667), Oakland is atop the Horizon League, a half game in front of Northern Kentucky, which is 12-7 (.632).
 
- The Colonials wrapped up the home portion of their 2023 schedule last week, dropping two of three to Oakland. RMU dropped the series opener at the North Athletic Complex (4/27), 3-0, before earning a 4-3 win to split a doubleheader. The next afternoon the Golden Grizzlies earned a 4-2 win in eight innings.
 
- Senior Avery Winchell and redshirt sophomore Meadow Sacadura each hit .333 (3-for-9) in the series against Oakland, with Winchell connecting for her second home run of the 2023 season, a three-run shot, to help propel the Colonials in the second game of the doubleheader.
 
- Winchell finished the 2023 season having hit .323 (10-for-31) at the North Athletic Complex with a home run and a team-high seven RBI. Her round tripper against the Golden Grizzlies marked the only home run for RMU at home this season, a span of 350 at bats.
 
- The Colonials posted a record of 9-5 (.643) at home in 2023 and their pitching staff notched an earned run average (ERA) of 1.41, allowing just 20 earned runs in 99 innings while striking out 83. In eight appearances, including four starts, sophomore Madison DeVault was 3-2 from the circle with 30 strikeouts in 34.1 innings while posting an ERA of 0.82.
 
- The Colonials are led by head coach Jexx Varner, who is in his fifth season at the helm of the program. He has posted a record of 99-110 (.474) but since joining the Horizon League RMU has notched an overall record of 77-61 (.558), including a mark of 47-31 (.603) in league play.
 
- RMU returns five starters from a 2022 squad that finished with an overall record of 31-21 (.596), including a mark of 16-9 (.640) in the Horizon League. The Colonials advanced to the championship game of the 2022 #HLSB Tournament in posting its first 30-win season since 2013.
 
- In a poll of Horizon League head coaches, the Colonials were picked to finish second in the league in 2023. Oakland was tabbed as the favorite and received eight first-place votes in accruing 77 points, while RMU earned a first-place tally and compiled 68 points.
 
- The 2023 Horizon League Championships are set for Wednesday, May 10, through Saturday, May 13, at a site to be determined.

CLEVELAND STATE LINKS
- Live Stats (5/5/23)
- Live Stats (5/6/23) - G1
- Live Stats (5/6/23) - G2
- 2023 Schedule
- 2023 Statistics
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
 
The All-Time Series (Cleveland State) – One of the longest running non-conference rivalries in school history prior to RMU joining the Horizon League, the Colonials and Vikings are no strangers on the diamond. The two teams have met 51 times in an all-time series that sees Cleveland State own a 29-22 (.569) advantage. The Vikings took two of three from RMU at the North Athletic Complex last season but the Colonials earned a 5-2 win over CSU (5/13) in an elimination game of the 2022 Horizon League Championships. Charlotte Grover connected for a two-run home run in the top of the fourth that gave RMU a 3-1 lead en route to the victory.
 
The Trio – The Colonials posted a record of 11-7 (.611) during the month of April, and a large portion of RMU's success has been ignited by the pitching staff. The trio of fifth-year Dana Vatakis, junior Jane Garver and sophomore Madison DeVault combined for a 2.02 earned run average (ERA) during April, logging 96 strikeouts in 124.2 innings while holding opponents to a batting average of .220. DeVault posted a 1.83 ERA in April, while Vatakis finished at 1.85. Garver, meanwhile, was 4-1 from the circle in six starts and struck out 35 in 33.2 innings.
 
The Final Countdown – Sophomore Alaina Koutsogiani is one of just two Colonials to start each of RMU's 94 games since the beginning of the 2022 season, joining junior Charlotte Grover. Koutsogiani tied the RMU career record for stolen bases in the series opener against Oakland at the North Athletic Complex, matching former outfielder Kelli Miller's (1990-93) career record with her 58th theft, a pilfer of second base in the bottom of the second. Koutsogiani established the RMU single-season record for stolen bases as a rookie in 2022 with 38 and also set the RMU single-game mark earlier this season in a 12-3 triumph @ Tennessee Tech (3/11) with four steals.
 
The Notebook – Redshirt sophomore Meadow Sacadura has safely reached base in 14 consecutive games, the longest active streak for the Colonials … RMU is 20-4 (.833) this season when scoring three or more runs and picked up its first win of the year when scoring two runs or less thanks to a 2-0 victory in the series opener against Northern Kentucky (4/7) … Junior Charlotte Grover is RMU's active leader in games played (126), starts (126) and consecutive starts (104).

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