The University of Rhode Island softball team lost three out of four to Tarleton State University over the weekend and lost both games of its doubleheader on Wednesday against Brown University.
In the first game of Friday’s doubleheader, Rhode Island found itself down early after giving up a three-run homer to second-year Jaelynn Duke in the third inning.
The Rams were able to get on the board in the next inning, thanks to a solo home run from fourth-year Kylie Bulinski to cut the deficit to two.
In the bottom half of the fourth inning, Rhode Island gave up four walks and two singles, which led to a 7-1 Tarleton State lead.
The Texans continued the pounding as second-year Casey Schultz smashed a grand slam to make it 11-1.
Tarleton State was led by stellar pitching from second-year Shelby Shultz, who pitched five scoreless innings, only giving up one run on five hits and striking out seven.
The Texans shut the door on the Rams in the fifth inning by not letting them score, ending the first game due to the mercy rule.
Rhode Island rebounded in the nightcap, cruising to a 13-1 victory.
The Rams got two of their three runs in the first inning on a two-run single from third-year Natalie Maleitzke.
Rhode Island had an RBI double in the second and a five-run fifth, including Bulinski’s second homer of the series to make the score 9-0.
“She provides power for us,” URI Head Coach Mike Coutts said. “We knew going into the year she was going to be a key contributor, and she has shown that so far.”
Third-year Avery Vale-Cruz shut down the Tarleton State offense, only giving up one run on four hits, going all five innings.
The Rams scored four more runs in the contest and ended the game in the fifth due to the mercy rule, evening up the series.
In the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, the first run was not scored until Tarleton State cracked the scoreboard in the third inning on an RBI single from second-year Isabella Bojkovic.
Rhode Island would respond in the fifth on an RBI double from Maleitzke to tie the game at 1-1.
The Texans responded right back in the sixth on an RBI single from Mariah Debose to put them up 2-1, and then sealed the game in the seventh by not letting the Rams score.
Schultz stepped up once again on the mound, only giving up one run on four hits and striking out 11, giving her 18 strikeouts for the series.
In the final game of the series, Tarleton State came out of the gates hot, taking an immediate 2-0 lead in the first inning.
Third-year Braylin Pannill homered in the second to extend the Texans’ lead to 3-0.
The Rams got runs off a solo shot from fourth-year Becca Zawistowski to get them on the board in the fourth, and then in the fifth, a two RBI double from Bulinski made the score deadlocked at three.
First-year Mikayla Wilson answered right back for the Texans on an RBI single, and third-year Addison Wittram drove in two more to make it 6-3.
Rhode Island was able to get out of the fifth, but Tarleton State continued to pour it on as they added five more runs in the sixth, ending the game on a mercy rule and securing the series with an 11-3 victory.
In the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader, the game remained scoreless until the fourth inning when third-year Macy Borowski hit an RBI single to give Brown the first run of the game, going up 1-0.
Next batter, fourth-year Cameron Zytkewicz-Ray hit an RBI triple to put the Bears up 2-0.
In the fifth inning, Rhode Island got on the board on an RBI base hit from fourth-year Hannah Hernandez to cut the deficit in half.
Third-year Lily Burns cracked a two-RBI double in the bottom of the sixth, and fourth-year Jasmine Hsiao followed her up with an RBI double of her own to give Brown a comfortable 5-1 lead.
The Rams were not able to score the rest of the way, as the Bears took game one of the two-game set.
In the second game of the doubleheader, Brown jumped all over Rhode Island, thrashing the Rams 16-5.
The Bears were led by second-year Maggie Fox, who had a homer and an RBI single early on to help the Bears to a quick 8-0 lead.
The Rams tried to rally with five runs in the fifth to make it an 8-5 ballgame, but Brown ran away with eight runs in the bottom half of the inning to sweep the doubleheader with a 16-5 victory.
“We have to play hard, and we have to compete better,” Coutts said. “We have been inconsistent, so we gotta find a way to be more consistent.”
Next up, Rhode Island will look to end its losing streak as they head off to play Saint Louis University for a three-game set. The first two games on Saturday will be on ESPN+.
