AKRON, Oh– The Robert Morris softball team (13-30, 4-4 NEC) travels to back to Ohio this Tuesday to take on the Akron Zips (10-27-2, 2-14-0 MAC). The Colonials last played against the Kent State Golden Flashes (20-23, 10-4 MAC) who swept the Colonials on Wednesday, April 17. The last games for the Zips were also against the Golden Flashes, as Akron was swept by their in-state rival over the weekend.

Recapping RMU

The Colonials took on the Kent State Golden Flashes and had a rough time in both games. In the first game, Kent State scored two runs in the second and third innings. In the fourth inning though, the Colonials got some momentum going as they scored three runs. These would be their only runs of the game. The Golden Flashes weren’t done scoring yet as they scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, and added three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. This would end the game in the fifth due to the run-rule with the final score being 11-3 in favor of the Golden Flashes.

In the second game, the Golden Flashes were even more untouchable than the first game, as the Kent State freshman pitcher Andrea Scali struck out 11 batters. Scali also had help from her defense, only allowing two Colonials batters on the base paths. The Golden Flashes offense was hot from the first pitch as there were three home runs knocked over the fence.

The star players for the Colonials in the first game were Taryn Miller and Brianna Bunner. Bunner had two hits and scored, then Miller added one hit and two RBIs. The star players for the Golden Flashes in the first game were Jen Cader and Bailey Brownfield. Cader had two hits and four RBIs, then Brownfield had three hits and one RBI.

In the second game for the Colonials, the most productive players were Abrielle McCartney and Kaitlin Ellzy. McCartney was the only Colonial batter that wasn’t struck out, and Ellzy came in relief of Coulter, pitching two innings with one earned run scored.

Recapping Akron

In the first game against the Golden Flashes, the Zips only had two hits because of Kent State’s pitcher, Andrea Scali. For Kent State, Kaitlyn Miller drove in a run with a double in the second inning, and in the fifth inning, drove in one of eight RBIs to end the game on the run-rule. In the game, the Golden Flashes allowed three hits and committed one error.

The second game got exciting early on in the first inning, where the Golden Flashes scored a run. They remained on the attack and added five more in the second inning. The Zips scored four runs in the sixth inning, but it was not enough the beat the Golden Flashes. Akron committed two errors and left four runners on base in this game.

The star players for the Zips in the first game were Jordan Crews and Laura Lakins. Crews had one hit, got walked, and was one of the only Zip batters to not be struck out by Scali. Lakins had one hit as well. The star players for the Golden Flashes in the first game were Andrea Scali and Megan Turner. Scali pitched all five innings with five strikeouts. On the offensive side of the ball, Turner had one hit with four RBIs.

The star players for the Zips in the second game were Jordan Crews and Mikayla Newland. Crews had two hits, two RBIs and scored herself. Newland came in relief of the starter Adrian Smith, pitching 5.2 innings, only allowing two hits and a walk against her then struck out eight batters.

The star players for the Golden Flashes were Bailey Brownfield and Andrea Scali. Brownfield had three hits with two RBIs. Defensively, Scali was lights out as she pitched 5.2 innings with eight strikeouts and one wild pitch.

Players to watch

Abrielle McCartney (RMU): McCartney is closing out her senior season with the highest batting average on the team at .300. She also has a .446 slugging percentage with a .319 on-base percentage. On the defensive side of the field, she has only made three errors this season. She is disciplined and patient at the plate, only being struck out 11 times this season.

Natalie Higgins (RMU): As an upperclassman, Higgins is having one of her best seasons at the plate, with a batting average of .292 and a slugging percentage of .509. She also has the highest on-base percentage as well, with a .330. In the field, she has made nine errors this season.

Sydney Jascoe (Akron): In her first season on the field, the freshman from Commerce, Michigan leads the team in batting average with a .396. She has a slugging percentage of .750 and an on-base percentage of .478. She is fairly consistent in the field, only committing seven errors this season.

Kayla Wuff (Akron): As a sophomore, Wuff has some experience in collegiate play. She has a batting average of .348 and a slugging percentage of .509. She has 23 RBIs this season but has committed eight errors in 39 games.

I think the Colonials will lose both games against the Zips, but the Colonials will give them a run for their money. After Akron, the Colonials will stay on their own field for their next two double-header series, with the first series is against the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds (25-14) on Saturday, April 27th at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.