In the team’s first conference series of the season, the Oakland Golden Grizzly softball team went 1-2 on the road against the Robert Morris Colonials. The team won the series’ first match on Thursday, March 13, before losing both games of a doubleheader on Friday, March 14.
Throughout the series, there were some standout moments from the Golden Grizzlies. Taylor Carraway recorded a hit on all three of her at-bats, and Kenna Bommarito earned her second save of the season in the first game of the series.
Game 1: Oakland 3, Robert Morris 1
The Golden Grizzlies wasted no time getting on the scoreboard to start the series. Carraway and Jenna Johnston each tallied RBI singles in the top of the second, giving Oakland an early 2-0 advantage.
On the mound, Alyssa Balcom held firm, pitching a near-flawless first four innings by not allowing a single Colonial hit. However, Robert Morris eventually started to heat up in the bottom of the fifth, piecing together a couple of singles to get a single run on the board.
Still, the Golden Grizzlies closed out the game strong. In the top of the sixth, Storm Kentros added to the score with an RBI single, while Bommarito made quick work of the Colonial batters, allowing just two hits and the final two innings to give Oakland its first conference win of the season.
Game 2: Oakland 0, Robert Morris 8
Despite the strong start to the series, Robert Morris came for revenge in the second game.
At the bottom of the second, some Oakland errors and the red-hot bats of the Colonials led to disaster for the Golden Grizzlies. Robert Morris tallied four hits in the inning and four runs to give the Colonials the upper hand.
In the fourth inning, the Colonials continued to give Oakland trouble. Following a flyout, Robert Morris tallied three straight hits before Mary Brant sent a deep shot home run to center field, expanding the Robert Morris lead to 8-0.
Offensively, the Golden Grizzlies struggled mightily in this game, finishing with just two hits, one from Kamryn Troyer in the fourth and another from Erin Mackin in the fifth.
With an eight-run deficit to make up, the game was called early after Oakland failed to score any runs in the fifth inning, resulting in the Golden Grizzlies’ first conference loss of the season.
Game 3: Oakland 1, Robert Morris 11
In the final game of the series, the Golden Grizzlies kept it competitive in the early stages, but the Colonials ran away with the game towards the end.
Robert Morris got on the scoreboard first, loading the bases in the bottom of the first before Jess Matheny sent all runners home with a double, giving the Colonials an early 3-0 lead.
The Golden Grizzlies responded in the third, as Alexa Kownacki got Oakland going with a double. After advancing to third following a groundout, Reese Ruhlman sent Kownacki home with a single, as Robert Morris still led 3-1.
Despite Oakland’s efforts, the Colonials turned the tables in what once was a close matchup. Matheney hit a two-run homer in the third to further expand the Robert Morris lead, while Courtney Poulich and Jaimee Hardy followed up with home runs of their own in the fourth and fifth, respectively.
With the game at 11-1 following Hardy’s homer, the game was called early in favor of Robert Morris, shifting Oakland’s conference record to 1-2 on the season.
Up next, the Golden Grizzlies will host the Northern Kentucky Norse for a three-game series starting on Friday, March 21, and ending with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 22, at the Oakland Softball Field. This series marks the Oakland softball team’s first home games this season.
