Last week was a jam-packed week for the University of Rhode Island softball team that included a walk-off victory and three doubleheaders over the span of five days.
First, Rhode Island welcomed Loyola University Chicago into Kingston for a three-game series starting with a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. The series was defined by strong pitching on both sides, led by third-year Peyton Pepkowski for the Ramblers and second-year Ashley Hibbard for the Rams.
In game one on Saturday, Loyola Chicago jumped out to an early lead with a two-out rally capped off by a two-run single by first-year infielder Liz Sedakis. Pepkowski immediately settled into a groove on the mound for Loyola Chicago with a quick three scoreless innings, including a stretch of five straight batters retired on strikes.
“Although their pitcher is very good, we took too long to make adjustments,” URI Head Coach Whitney Goldstein said postgame. “We waited too long in the game to start doing a better job in managing our at bats.”
Pepkowski carried a no-hitter into the fourth inning before it was snapped by a single from fifth-year outfielder Sydney Yoder. The Rams got runners on second and third in the fourth, however were unable to get either of them in and this proved to be the best chance they would get.
Loyola Chicago wrapped up a game one victory of 3-0 on the back of a complete game shutout from Pepkowski, allowing just three hits and striking out eight. The Rams were able to stay in it throughout this one thanks to third-year Katie Zaun and Hibbard combining to allow just one run in the final six innings.
“Katie Zaun and Ashley Hibbard did an excellent job today,” Goldstein said. “I’m really proud of how they stepped up for the team today and really just kept fighting.”
The two scoreless innings that Hibbard pitched in game one was just the beginning of her day as she was the starter in game two of the doubleheader, which proved to once again be a pitcher’s duel. Hibbard and third-year pitcher Andie Broniewicz traded zeroes throughout the first five innings.
“Taking it pitch by pitch, inning by inning helped a lot,” Hibbard said. “We have a really good pitching staff so I knew if I needed help anyone was going to be ready to come in.”
The Ramblers broke the scoreless tie in the top of the sixth when third-year infielder Bella Crimaldi went deep to left field. With one out in the final inning, the Rams offense finally broke through with a game-tying double down the left field line by second-year infielder Becca Zawistowski. Then, with two outs and a runner on third, first-year infielder Zoe Rensel came off the bench and delivered a walk-off single to give Rhode Island a 2-1 victory.
“We hit a lot of good balls throughout the game, but Loyola kept making really good defensive plays,” Goldstein said. “At some point, things could drop and go astray for the other team and I think we capitalized on those moments [in the final inning].”
Despite being held scoreless throughout the first 13 innings of the day, Rhode Island found a way to secure a win and force a rubber game of the series on Sunday. Hibbard played an important role in helping her team rally from behind and get her a win as she went nine innings, allowing just one run.
“It’s so great knowing my team has my back,” Hibbard said. “So much relief, I’m just so proud of my team.”
The final game of the series on Sunday saw the same pitching matchup as game one with Zaun facing off against Pepkowski. The Ramblers jumped out to a lead in the first inning on a run-scoring double from third-year infielder Haley Wallace and didn’t look back after that. Pepkowski was once again dominant, going six scoreless innings and striking out eight batters for the second day in a row.
Second-year catcher Abbie Gregus put the game out of reach in the seventh inning when she hit a two-run home run to give Loyola Chicago a 6-0 lead. First-year Maddy Hickey came in to slam the door with a scoreless final inning to give the Ramblers a hard-fought series victory.
Following the loss, Rhode Island prepared for back-to-back days with road doubleheaders against Brown University and Stonehill College.
The bats for the Rams remained quiet throughout the doubleheader on Tuesday against Brown as they were held scoreless throughout the day. Hibbard kept them in game one by pitching another five strong innings, but a run-scoring double from second-year infielder Cameron Zytkewicz Ray in the sixth inning was all Brown needed for a 1-0 victory. Brown came alive offensively in game two as they scored in every single inning on their way to an 8-0 victory in five innings.
On Wednesday against Stonehill, the struggles continued for Rhode Island as they dropped both games and were outscored 19-1 across the doubleheader. Overall, the Rams went 1-6 in their seven game stretch this week to drop to 7-29 on the season, and now find themselves on a five-game losing streak.
URI will look to recover and snap their losing streak as they travel to play Saint Louis University for a three game set this weekend. The series will begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday and can be streamed on ESPN+.