The University of Rhode Island softball team traveled to Statesboro, Ga., for the Georgia Southern GATA Challenge, winning a couple of pitchers’ duels before falling short in a weather-shortened five-inning contest and heading home early due to inclement weather.
Friday featured two close contests for the Rams, needing eight innings to defeat Tennessee Tech University 2-1 in walk-off fashion. URI followed that up by blanking Eastern Kentucky University 3-0.
On Saturday, the Rams fell to the hosts, Georgia Southern University, with a final score of 2-1 in five innings. The team promptly packed their bags to head home, with the final two games of the weekend canceled because of weather conditions.
“We saw some more about how good our pitching can be,” Rhode Island Head Coach Mike Coutts said. “We had to respond in some tough situations. Runners were able to get on base, but it didn’t snowball.”
Though it did in fact snow quite a bit over the course of the weekend, URI pitchers were hardly the ones to blame. Third-year Avery Vale-Cruz delivered eight strong innings against Tennessee Tech, striking out four and walking one, with just a single unearned run crossing the plate.
Fourth-year Ashley Hibbard followed up that performance with an even better one. She went six shutout innings on the bump against EKU, striking out four of her own.
Through 11.1 innings of work this season, Hibbard has struck out 11 and walked just two without allowing a runner to score.
“She’s been in a good rhythm,” Coutts said. “She gets people out, and she hasn’t gotten herself in trouble by walking people. She’s been able to get her curveball in the strike zone, and when she’s able to do that, she’s tough.”
The pitching for this Rams squad has been an important development at a time when the offense has been missing the presence of fourth-year catcher Kylie Bulinski in the heart of the order. The team allowed just three runs in as many games, but could only muster six of their own.
“We’ve struggled hitting with runners in scoring position,” Coutts said. “If our pitching is going to be really good, and we score four to five runs a game, we’ll always give ourselves a chance to win.”
In the first contest, second-year Julianne Torres reached base on a walk before coming around to score thanks to a single from first-year Brooke Fairbanks. It was the third RBI in four games for the freshman catcher out of East Greenwich.
The game-winning run came via a sacrifice fly from third-year Riley Frickleton. Fourth-year Hannah Hernandez started the eighth inning as the automatic runner. She advanced to third before Frickleton’s fly ball to left field brought her home for the second URI walk-off of the young season.
Hibbard’s scoreless effort in the second game was buoyed by a three-run performance from the Rams’ offense, tying their most runs scored in a game all season. Torres and second-year Katie Knarr both had RBIs.
Up next, the Rams get some time off before travelling to Philadelphia to open up conference play at Saint Joseph’s University. They will play a doubleheader on March 7, followed by the third and final game of the series on March 8.
