Robert Morris has yet another trophy they can add to the cabinet this spring as the softball won their first Horizon League championship in a win over Purdue Fort Wayne Saturday afternoon.
The Horizon League co-Freshman of the Year, Mary Brant, hit a walk-off two-run home run for the Colonials in extra-innings, beating the Mastodons by a score of 4-2.
The Colonials entered at tournament as the two seed, and following a comeback win against Green Bay and a dominant win against the Mastodons yesterday, the team entered Saturday needing just one win to seal the championship.
It started off hot, with junior standout Courtney Poulich continuing her record breaking form. The Greensburg native hit her third home run of the tournament at the bottom of the first inning, giving the Colonials a 1-0 lead.
That lead would remain intact until the top of the seventh inning, when Purdue Fort Wayne’s own junior, award-winning batter would give the Mastodons a lifeline. Grace Hollopeter’s double saw two runners cross home plate, putting the Colonials down 2-1.
With a half-inning left to keep from going to an extra game, Sequoia Dunlap, who had batted 1-8 (.125) over the course of the tournament, stepped up to the plate and tied the game with a home run..
While the offense will get the main share of the praise this season, the defense has been equally exceptional for RMU. All-Conference First Team pitcher, Madison DeVault struck out 17 batters across the three games, and big plays from Dunlap, Alaina Koutsogiani, Kaylyn Hopf, Anna Resnik, as well as Brant kept the Colonials from allowing only seven runs during the weekend.
With the Colonials’ two runs of the game coming from homers, Brant, who sits second in the team in batting average, slugging percentage, and of course, homeruns, stepped up and did what she’s being doing all season, and sent the ball out of the park for walk-off championship win.
The storybook ending is the cherry on the top for what’s been a magical season for the Softball team. After an underwhelming regular season last year, RMU made it to the final day in the tournament before falling to Northern Kentucky and Cleveland State.
This season, the team has soared under head coach Jexx Varner, breaking multiple single-season records including stolen bases (69), doubles (72), RBIs (234), and homeruns (41). Varner also has developed Poulich into a record breaker, breaking the program record of most home runs in a season with 15 and RBIs in a season with 52. The seventh year head coach has also worked his magic with the underclassman, developing Mary Brant into being a freshman player of the year.
Now Varner and his 30 win team will turn their attention to the NCAA Tournament, their first appearance since 2005.
