April 22, 2010

RedStorm close out home slate with sweep of Pikeville

Rio Grande --- The University of Rio Grande RedStorm softball team closed out the home portion of the 2010 schedule with a doubleheader sweep of Pikeville College at Stanley Evans Field on Thursday afternoon. Rio blanked the Bears in game one, 6-0 and scored 10 unanswered runs in a 10-1 game two victory in six innings.

Rio Grande (29-19, 17-11 MSC) jumped on Pikeville early in the first game and cruised to the victory. Rio scored three runs in the first inning with two runs coming on a double off the bat of sophomore pitcher Anna Smith (Ross, OH). She would later score on a wild pitch. Smith was 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored and two RBI's. 

Rio added single runs in the second, fourth and fifth frames to close out the scoring. Sophomore second baseman Stevie Sharp (Grayson, KY) went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate and had a stolen base. Senior centerfielder Leah Hamman (Lexington, OH), who is leading the Mid-South Conference in batting average, was 1-for-3 with two runs scored and two steals. Junior shortstop Amber Bowman (Hebron, OH) was 1-for-4 and drove in two runs. 

Sophomore first baseman Chelsie Brooks (North Lewisburg, OH) was 1-for-3 with an RBI, sophomore rightfielder Marissa Lennox (Gahanna, OH) was 1-for-3 with a double and freshman third baseman Jaymie Rector (Heath, OH) was 1-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base.

Senior catcher Kaylyn Heading (Hilliard, OH) was 0-for-1, but walked three times and scored a run.

Smith (16-13) was once again dominant in the pitcher's circle as she collected her sixth shutout of the season. She scattered six hits over seven innings with five strikeouts and one walk.

Whitney Compton (2-8) started and lost the game one for Pikeville College (15-30, 4-20 MSC). Compton pitched four innings, allowing seven hits and five runs (four earned) with two walks. 

Kayla Morgan led the Pikeville offense, going 2-for-3 with a double.

Pikeville scored first in game two when Cortney Bentley doubled home Corey Huston in the third inning.

From that point on it was all Rio Grande. The RedStorm responded with four runs in the bottom of the third to take a 4-1 lead. Rio added two runs in the fourth, one in the fifth and three in the sixth, ending the game in dramatic fashion on a three-run walk-off home run by Heading to give Rio a mercy-rule win.

"It's kind of really neat for Kaylyn to end up with a walk-off home run in her last game here at Rio Grande and Leah, our other senior, had a walk-off earlier in the year, that doesn't happen a lot, both of your seniors get to do it their last year, that's really neat," said Rio Grande head coach David Pyles. "I'm really excited for Kaylyn, we're going to need her bat come conference tournament time and I feel like we're getting tuned in and everybody's starting to come around at the plate and I'm really excited to get the tournament started."

Heading was 2-for-4 with four RBI's in the game. Freshman leftfielder Kaitie Stewart (Pleasant Hill, OH) was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Rector was 2-for-3 and scored three runs while also swiping two bases. Hamman was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and two steals. 

Bowman was 1-for-4 with an RBI, freshman rightfielder Jessica Gall (Mount Vernon, OH) went 1-for-3 and sophomore pitcher Allison Mills (West Chester, OH) was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Smith was 1-for-2 with two runs scored and Brooks was 0-for-2 with a sacrifice fly that drove in a run. 

Mills improved to 13-5 on the season with the complete game victory. She allowed only three hits and fanned five in six innings. 

Bentley (3-12) took the loss for Pikeville. She gave up 12 hits and 10 runs (nine earned) with two strikeouts and one walk. 

Rio posted a season sweep over Pikeville, having beaten the Bears, March 13 by scores of 9-1 and 3-2. 

"Today was a good day," Pyles said. "Out of the circle today we got two good pitching performances, Anna, lately has just been dominant and Allison, when we fell behind, she kept her composure and did a nice job keeping the ball down and getting a lot of ground balls."

"Both of them threw great today," Pyles added. 

The RedStorm will finish the regular season on the road at Shawnee State on Sunday (April 25). Rio took both ends of a doubleheader against SSU, April 11 at home, 4-3 and 6-5.