Rio Grande News
Thu, Apr. 26, 2012 - [Softball]
By RANDY PAYTON
Rio Grande Sports Information
DANVILLE, Ky. - Top-seeded Lindsey Wilson scored in each of its first three trips to the plate and cruised to a 6-1 win over the University of Rio Grande in a winner's bracket semifinal game of the Mid-South Conference Softball Tournament, Thursday evening, at Millineum Park's Colonels Field.
The win sends the Blue Raiders (44-10) into Friday's winner bracket final against St. Catherine, which defeated UVA-Wise in the other winner's bracket semifinal contest.
Rio, the tourney's No. 5 seed, will meet rival Shawnee State in a loser's bracket elimination game on Friday at 11:30 a.m.
The Bears fell to St. Catherine in the quarterfinals, but stayed alive by ousting Georgetown in an elimination contest.
Lindsey Wilson struck for a pair of runs in the first inning and three more in the second against Rio senior starter Allison Mills (West Chester, OH), before adding another marker in the third against senior Anna Smith (Hamilton, OH), who came on in relief in the second inning after Mills was hit by a line drive off the bat of Brittany Novickis.
Meanwhile, the RedStorm (24-19) managed just five hits and a walk against Lindsey starter Kristina Krupinski. The freshman right-hander needed just 69 pitches in a complete game effort.
The only other Rio baserunner came via the lone error by the Blue Raiders.
Lindsey Wilson got what proved to be all the runs it would need in the first inning when Emily Priar reached on a one-out single and scored on a two-out home run to left field by Josie Cox.
The Blue Raiders' lead ballooned to 5-0 in the second.
Travita Bowden reached on an error to begin the inning and promptly stole second. Amy Buwalda plated pinch-runner Megan Huckaby with a single to center and Novickis followed with a bullet back up the middle which struck Mills in the thigh, forcing her out of the game.
After a sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position, Alexis Rodgers had an RBI single to shortstop and Priar added a sacrifice fly to right.
The Blue Raiders got their final run in the third when Andrea Whelan led off with a double, stole third and scored on a wild pitch by Smith.
Smith allowed just two hits the rest of the way and recorded seven strikeouts, but the RedStorm failed to muster much offense until their final at bat.
Freshman Haley Gwin (Troy, OH) and Smith had consecutive one-out singles before freshman Maegen Pendleton (Xenia, OH) had a run-scoring groundout off the glove of Krupinski. The game ended moments later, though, when junior Kaylee Walk (Unionville Center, OH) lined out to shortstop.
Gwin finished 2-for-3 in the loss for Rio.
Whelan had two hits and Jordan Gilland had a double for Lindsey Wilson.
Fans can follow Thursday's action by clicking on the MSC Tournament link at www.mid-southconference.org. Updates will also be available on twitter by following @RedStormSID.
Rio Grande Sports Information
DANVILLE, Ky. - Top-seeded Lindsey Wilson scored in each of its first three trips to the plate and cruised to a 6-1 win over the University of Rio Grande in a winner's bracket semifinal game of the Mid-South Conference Softball Tournament, Thursday evening, at Millineum Park's Colonels Field.
The win sends the Blue Raiders (44-10) into Friday's winner bracket final against St. Catherine, which defeated UVA-Wise in the other winner's bracket semifinal contest.
Rio, the tourney's No. 5 seed, will meet rival Shawnee State in a loser's bracket elimination game on Friday at 11:30 a.m.
The Bears fell to St. Catherine in the quarterfinals, but stayed alive by ousting Georgetown in an elimination contest.
Lindsey Wilson struck for a pair of runs in the first inning and three more in the second against Rio senior starter Allison Mills (West Chester, OH), before adding another marker in the third against senior Anna Smith (Hamilton, OH), who came on in relief in the second inning after Mills was hit by a line drive off the bat of Brittany Novickis.
Meanwhile, the RedStorm (24-19) managed just five hits and a walk against Lindsey starter Kristina Krupinski. The freshman right-hander needed just 69 pitches in a complete game effort.
The only other Rio baserunner came via the lone error by the Blue Raiders.
Lindsey Wilson got what proved to be all the runs it would need in the first inning when Emily Priar reached on a one-out single and scored on a two-out home run to left field by Josie Cox.
The Blue Raiders' lead ballooned to 5-0 in the second.
Travita Bowden reached on an error to begin the inning and promptly stole second. Amy Buwalda plated pinch-runner Megan Huckaby with a single to center and Novickis followed with a bullet back up the middle which struck Mills in the thigh, forcing her out of the game.
After a sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position, Alexis Rodgers had an RBI single to shortstop and Priar added a sacrifice fly to right.
The Blue Raiders got their final run in the third when Andrea Whelan led off with a double, stole third and scored on a wild pitch by Smith.
Smith allowed just two hits the rest of the way and recorded seven strikeouts, but the RedStorm failed to muster much offense until their final at bat.
Freshman Haley Gwin (Troy, OH) and Smith had consecutive one-out singles before freshman Maegen Pendleton (Xenia, OH) had a run-scoring groundout off the glove of Krupinski. The game ended moments later, though, when junior Kaylee Walk (Unionville Center, OH) lined out to shortstop.
Gwin finished 2-for-3 in the loss for Rio.
Whelan had two hits and Jordan Gilland had a double for Lindsey Wilson.
Fans can follow Thursday's action by clicking on the MSC Tournament link at www.mid-southconference.org. Updates will also be available on twitter by following @RedStormSID.
