Despite holding a lead heading into the final inning of every game, the University of Rhode Island softball team was unable to secure a conference series win against Saint Louis University over the weekend, but responded by sweeping a midweek doubleheader against the College of the Holy Cross on Wednesday.
Rhode Island went into their series on the road against Saint Louis looking to snap a five-game losing streak. Meanwhile, Saint Louis was on the opposite end of the spectrum, as they were riding a three-game win streak and sitting second in the Atlantic 10 Conference standings.
In game one of the doubleheader on Saturday, the Rams broke through first on the scoreboard in the third inning on a run-scoring single by fifth-year infielder Elena Gonzalez.
Fifth-year outfielder Sydney Yoder added some insurance with a single in the fourth inning to make it a 2-0 URI lead, and that was all the run support that second-year pitcher Ashley Hibbard would need. Throughout her first four innings of work, she allowed just one hit on her way to a final line of 5.2 innings pitched, allowing zero runs and striking out seven.
“The reason why [Hibbard is] being the most successful is because she hits her spots the most,” URI Head Coach Whitney Goldstein said. “I don’t think she loses focus too much of the task to just get some outs.”
Third-year pitcher Katie Zaun came in with two outs in the sixth inning to escape a jam for the Rams and went on to get the final four outs in a 2-0 game one victory.
“We hadn’t had the best record or outcomes before that [win],” Hibbard said. “So, it was refreshing to know that we can still play like that.”
In game two, Rhode Island broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning when second-year infielder Casey Miller came through with a run-scoring single. Hibbard held this slim lead all the way into the seventh inning and the Rams found themselves just three outs away from a doubleheader sweep and securing a series win.
For the first time in the day, Saint Louis was able to put a run on the board with one out in the seventh inning on a game-tying hit by second-year infielder Chloe Rhine, knocking Hibbard out of the game. Three batters later, third-year infielder Kendall Johnson hit a ball that fell into shallow left field to drive in the winning run and give the Billikens a walk-off 2-1 win.
Despite the game two loss, Hibbard allowed just one earned run in 12 innings and racked up 14 strikeouts across the doubleheader. Hibbard has been a workhorse for this Rams team as of late, appearing in nine of their last 11 games and allowing no more than one earned run in any of those appearances.
“I just always have the mindset that you can go in at any time,” Hibbard said. “Always staying ready, just taking care of my body.”
In the rubber game on Sunday, it was the same starting pitching matchup as game two, with Hibbard facing off against first-year Isabel Royce. Royce was able to keep the offense for the Rams quiet throughout most of this one as she held a no-hitter through the first five frames.
Trailing 2-0, Miller broke up the no-hitter with a single to lead off the sixth and sparked a rally for Rhode Island. After Gonzalez tied the game with a two-run triple, second-year catcher Kylie Bulinski gave URI their first lead of the day with a run-scoring single.
“We were patient, we put a lot of good balls in play and didn’t always have a ton to show for it,” Goldstein said. “I think it was just about staying within the plan and sticking with it.”
For the second straight game, the Rams went into the final inning with a lead and a chance to complete a series win, but Saint Louis had different ideas. After a couple of walks and an error, the Billikens tied the game at three and had the winning run at third base with still no one out. Fifth-year outfielder Cami Newbanks got the job done with a sacrifice fly to give Saint Louis a 4-3 win, their second consecutive walk-off victory.
“When we play to our potential, we can play with mostly anybody,” Goldstein said. “It is disheartening that in moments where you really would like to see the team get over the hump, we just haven’t been able to do that.”
Rhode Island returned home on Wednesday for a doubleheader against Holy Cross and jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning of game one on a two-run single by fifth-year outfielder Skyler Rapuano. After Zaun threw five scoreless innings for the Rams, the Crusaders threatened in the sixth as they cut the lead in half and had the bases loaded with no one out. Hibbard pulled off a magic act for Rhode Island, escaping the jam and going on to close out the 2-1 win.
Hibbard was right back at it in game two, allowing just one hit through the first six innings. Once again, Holy Cross strung together a late rally when they trimmed their deficit to 4-1 and loaded the bases in the final inning. Hibbard, though, found a way to work out of it and complete the doubleheader sweep with a 4-1 victory.
Looking ahead, URI will stay home when they welcome in George Washington University for a three game series this weekend. The first game of the series will begin at noon on Saturday and all of the games will be streamed on ESPN+.