The University of Rhode Island softball team won one of its three games played in the Lion Invitational over the weekend.
Rhode Island kicked off its season Friday in the first of five scheduled games against Marist University.
The Rams got off to a hot start, scoring two runs in the first inning on a pair of RBI-singles from second-year Katie Knarr and first-year Brooke Fairbanks.
The Red Foxes answered right back in the second inning on a two-run homer from first-year Lily Roumelis to knot things up.
After giving up the home run in the third inning, third-year Avery Vale-Cruz had a solid performance, going all seven innings and striking out three.
“I missed one spot, and that happens sometimes,” Vale-Cruz said. “I continued on what I was going to do and just focused on the present game and what was going to happen in the future.”
In the bottom of the seventh inning, fourth-year Hannah Hernandez led off with a double to put the winning run on base, and third-year Riley Frickleton connected on a base hit to drive in Hernandez and give Rhode Island a walk-off win to start the season.
“Being able to start the first game for my team was a privilege,” Vale-Cruz said. “I was really honored to be able to be in the position to help my team succeed.”
In the nightcap, the Rams took on East Texas A&M University.
The game remained scoreless for seven innings in a pitchers’ duel, where Rhode Island pitcher, fourth-year Ashley Hibbard, went 5.1 innings, shutting down the Lions’ bats and striking out six while only giving up three hits on the night.
For East Texas A&M, it was fourth-year Maddie Muller who pitched eight scoreless innings, giving up six hits and six walks while striking out five.
Hibbard was pulled in the bottom of the 6th for third-year Sarah Trosin, who came in on relief in a jam but was able to force a fly out to get out of it. Trosin would pitch the rest of the way.
The Rams were threatening at the top of the eighth with a runner 60 feet away when third-year Sydney Orndorff hit a chopper to third that got second-year Julianne Torres caught in a rundown between third and home before being tagged out to end the threat.
In the bottom half of the inning after the runner advanced to third, fourth-year Emma Rodrigues smashed a ground ball to short, but the Rams could not make the play cleanly. First-year Zoey Hipolito came home to score the only run of the game, which would be the decider.
Rhode Island was supposed to play a doubleheader on Saturday against Grambling State University and Jackson State University, but because of lightning in the area, both games were cancelled and will not be rescheduled.
“I think you’re disappointed when you don’t play,” URI Head Coach Mike Coutts said. “It gave the kids an opportunity to catch up on their schoolwork, catch up on their rest, and visit their families.”
In the final game of the Lion Invitational, the Rams took on Missouri State University.
Rhode Island was in trouble early, as the Rams got themselves stuck in a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the bottom of the first inning. Rhode Island was able to escape most of the damage, only giving up one run to its opponent.
The game remained scoreless until the fourth inning, when the Rams tied the game up on a sacrifice fly from Fairbanks to score Torres.
In the bottom half of the fifth inning, Rhode Island collapsed. Missouri State scored three straight runs, starting with a leadoff double from third-year Alexis Perales, which was followed by a double from second-year Lauren Rowland to put the Bears back up 2-1. Second-year Halle Studer cranked a two-run homer to give Missouri State a comfortable 4-1 advantage.
“I think it is always great to compete,” Coutts said. “We have got to be good competitors no matter who we’re playing.
Next up, Rhode Island plays five games in the Georgia Southern University GATA Challenge in Statesboro, Ga. The slate starts on Friday with a doubleheader against Tennessee Tech University at 10 a.m., followed by a matchup with Eastern Kentucky University at 12:30 p.m.
