HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The RMU softball team erupted for an 18-3 win in game one of Saturday's doubleheader before falling 9-4 in the finale, dropping the series 2-1. The Colonials now sit at 18-12 overall with a 6-6 mark in Horizon League play.
GAME 1: RMU 18, NKU 3
After a scoreless first inning, freshman outfielder
Alivia Hare put the Colonials on the board with a solo home run in the second.
RMU added to its lead in the third when
Eloise Facher ripped a single down the right field line to bring home
Marta Gualazzi, making it 2-0.
The power surge continued in the fourth as
Mary Brant launched a solo shot. Northern Kentucky responded with two runs in the fifth to cut into the deficit, but RMU took full control in the final two innings.
In the sixth,
Courtney Poulich doubled,
Aglaia Rudd singled, and Hare worked a walk to load the bases.
Sequoia Dunlap followed with a sacrifice fly to score Poulich, while Rudd came around on a throwing error to extend the lead to 5-2. Gualazzi then blasted her second home run of the season to push the advantage to 7-2.
The Colonials broke the game open in the seventh. Poulich and Rudd reached base again before Brant delivered an RBI single down the left field line. Hare added a sacrifice fly, and after Dunlap walked, Gualazzi doubled into the right-center gap to drive in another run. A wild pitch later scored Dunlap to make it 11-2.
RMU continued to pile on, as
Erynn Thompson drew a walk and
Kaylyn Hopf singled up the middle for another RBI. With two on, Poulich crushed a three-run home run to right field, extending the lead to 15-2.
Rudd walked once more and Brant singled before pinch hitter
Delaney O'Connor capped the scoring with her first career home run to center field, giving RMU a commanding 18-2 lead.
The Norse plated one run in the bottom of the seventh, but the Colonials secured the 18-3 victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- RMU outhit NKU, 14-7, while committing two errors; the Norse had four.
- Poulich, Brant, and Gualazzi each tallied three hits and scored three runs.
- Poulich, Gualazzi, and O'Connor each recorded a team-high three RBIs.
- RMU drew seven walks, with Rudd earning two.
- The Colonials hit five home runs, one shy of their single-game program record.
- Defensively, Brant recorded three assists at third base.
- In the circle, Madelyn Coleman pitched a complete game, striking out five to earn her fourth win of the season.
GAME 2: NKU 9, RMU 4
Northern Kentucky responded quickly in game two, scoring eight runs over the first three innings.
RMU got on the board in the fourth when Rudd hit a sacrifice fly to score Hopf. After Hare doubled in the fifth, Dunlap launched a home run to cut the deficit to 8-3.
The Norse added an insurance run in the sixth to make it 9-3.
The Colonials attempted a late push in the seventh, as Hopf delivered an RBI single, but RMU was unable to complete the comeback, falling 9-4.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- NKU outhit RMU, 11-8; the Colonials committed two errors.
- Hopf, Facher, and Dunlap each recorded two hits.
- Dunlap led the team with two RBIs and scored twice.
- In the circle, Kaitlyn Molitoris started, striking out two in one inning while allowing two earned runs. Sammie Borrayo allowed five earned runs in one inning of relief. Coleman closed the game with four innings, striking out two and allowing just one earned run.
RECORD BROKEN
With her home run in game one,
Courtney Poulich set a new single-season program record with her 17th of the year, surpassing her previous mark set last season. She now has 50 RBIs, closing in on her program record of 53 from the 2025 campaign.
As a team, RMU also recorded its 13th win, scoring double-digit runs this season, setting a new program record.
COLONIAL FIRST
Freshman
Delaney O'Connor hit her first career home run. She has now appeared in 10 games, totaling five RBIs, two walks, and two runs scored.
UP NEXT
RMU travels to Akron for a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 14. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 PM.
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