MERCYHURST (1-8) vs. Robert Morris (8-6)
Saturday, March. 14 – 1/3 p.m. (Away)
Sunday, March 15 – 1/3 p.m. (Home)
Moon Township, PA / Erie, PA
TV: ESPN+ (Away) / NEC Front Row (Home)
 
*All games are subject to change due to inclement weather forecasted in both areas. 
 
The Mercyhurst softball team is back on the mainland after their trip to Hawaii a couple of weeks ago. They now face an opponent a lot closer to home, Robert Morris. The first set of games will take place at the Colonial's diamond on Saturday at 1 and 3 p.m. The second set of games features the Laker's home opener on Sunday at 1 and 3 p.m. 
 
Previous Results
The Lakers are 1-8 overall this season. They began the season on Friday, Feb. 13 in South Carolina at the Scotsman Invitational. They opened with a pair of games against Albany and the tournament hosts, Presbyterian. Albany beat them, 6-0. The Lakers and Blue Hose played a 17-run thriller that the Lakers led for the first half of the game. Presbyterian came back and beat them, 10-7. On that Saturday, ETSU defeated MU 10-2 in six innings and then Presbyterian ran away with game two, 12-3. 

Mercyhurst then flew to Hawaii for the OUTRIGGER Classic. They fell to Portland State in the first game. However, Jazlynn Sanders had a two-RBI game in the second matchup with the Vikings as the Lakers picked up their first win of the season, 4-2. They fell to Portland State and Hawaii before nearly defeating Hawaii on their final day, losing 7-5. 
 
Matchup Insights
The Lakers are 0-2 against RMU all time. The two sides met for the very first time in April of 2025. The Colonials won both games by eight runs. In the second game, two returning Lakers contributed to a few runs. Natasha McLellan-Tam (1 RBI) and Shailene Riemedio (1 run) gave them an early lead before RMU rallied back. 
 
A Pair of Batting Leaders 
From the batter's box, junior pitcher/outfielder Bailey Cannon leads the Lakers. Cannon has a .364 batting average and 1.091 on base plus slugging percentage in her 22 at bats. The Edinboro, Pa. native has 13 total bases, eight hits, five runs, and two RBIs.

Jazlynn Sanders is second on the team with a .333 batting average. The Pittsburgh, Pa. native has an OPS of .899, 12 total bases, seven hits, seven RBIs, and two runs in her 21 at bats. 
 
Prime Performers 
So far, both Sanders and Gabriella DeLuca have earned an NEC Prime Performer award. DeLuca had a stellar weekend in S.C that began her collegiate career in style. In this tournament, the Erie native had a .333 batting average, two runs, two RBIs, three and a two-run moon shot in just nine at bats. 

Sanders earned her Prime Performer award from the Hawaii tournament. Sanders had five hits, five RBIs, and she went yard in one of the games vs. Hawaii. 
 
Scouting Robert Morris   

• The Colonials are 8-6 to start this season. 
• They currently sit second in the Horizon League behind Cleveland State. 
• Last season, they won the Horizon League for the first time in program history. 
• They fell 10-1 to Florida State and 11-3 to Auburn in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. 
• They only graduated five seniors from that season. 
• They opened their 2026 campaign at the Winthrop Invite in Rock Hill, S.C. 
• Here, they fell 6-3 to Kent State before sweeping Le Moyne 12-4 and then 9-1 in six innings. 
• They narrowly dropped the final game of the tournament to Winthrop, 4-3. 
• Their next tournament was the Spartan Classic/Sparkle City Invite in Spartanburg, S.C. 
• Every game ended with a run-rule as the Colonials went 3-2. 
• They beat Morgan State twice, lost to Wofford and South Carolina-Upstate and then beat Holy Cross. 
• They scored 65 runs in these five games. 
• Since then, they have beaten Western Carolina and UPenn and lost to Ohio twice. 
• Their most recent game this past Tuesday was at Pitt, where they won 12-3.
• Junior catcher Aglaia Rudd leads the Colonials batting column with monster numbers. The Greenfield, Ind. native has a batting average of .568, and OPS of 1.628, a slugging percentage of 1.045, 46 total bases, 25 hits, 17 runs, 15 RBIs, and five home runs in her 44 at bats. Her batting average is currently fourth in the nation. 
• RMU has five batters above a .400 batting average and with an OPS above 1.000. 
• Sammie Borrayo has the lowest ERA from the circle (3.64), but Kaitlyn Molitoris' 37 strikeouts lead the team.