Rio Grande Sports Information
RIO GRANDE, Ohio - The fact that the University of Rio Grande and St. Mary-of-the-Woods College divided their River States Conference softball doubleheader on Thursday afternoon didn't come as a complete surprise.
The manner in which the split came about may have caught some off guard, though.
The Pomeroys roughed up Rio pitching ace Sydney Campolo en route to a 14-8 opening game win, while Kali Brickman outdueled Summer Rocha, SMWC's top hurler, for a 2-1 triumph in the nightcap at Rio Softball Park.
The two teams who squared off in last year's RSC Tournament championship both finished the day at 13-9.
Rio Grande, which had an eight-game winning streak snapped in the opening game loss, is now 3-1 in conference play.
St. Mary-of-the-Woods moved to 3-3 in the RSC.
In the opener, the Pomeroys scored five times in the first inning against Campolo and - after Rio got four of the runs back in the home half of the frame - the visitors added three more markers to force a pitching change.
Campolo, a junior from New Lexington, Ohio - allowed five hits, four walks and hit a batter in just 1-1/3 innings. The eight runs allowed tied a single-game career-high in a rare off-day for the right-hander.
Rio Grande closed the gap to 9-7 after four innings, but the Pomeroys pulled away once and for all by scoring three times in the sixth inning and twice more in the seventh.
Lyric Krause led the offensive onslaught for SMWC, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles and five runs batted in.
Camryn Scott went 3-for-3 with two walks, four runs scored, two RBI and four stolen bases for the Pomeroys, while Jasmine Kinzer, Jaleigh Crawford and Rylee Pender all drove in two runs. Crawford's hit total included a double.
Jaselyn Conn also doubled and drove in a run in the winning effort.
Lanna Martinez got the win in relief for SMWC, despite allowing 12 hits and six runs.
Sophomore Alexandria "Boo" Sturgill led Rio Grande at the plate with a home run, a double and three RBI, while freshman Madison Perry (Portsmouth, OH), junior Caitlyn Brisker (Oak Hill, OH) and sophomore Peyton Young (Mt. Orab, OH) all had two hits and a run batted in. Brisker's hit total included a triple and Young had a double.
Freshman Gabby Adams (Grove City, OH) doubled and drove in two runs for the RedStorm, while freshman Lexi Thompson (Shelby, OH) was 2-for-4 and junior Lexi Carnahan (Felicity, OH) had a double.
The nightcap was a complete polar opposite, with Brickman and Rocha nearly matching each other pitch for pitch.
Brickman, a junior from Huber Heights, Ohio, earned her fourth straight win after opening the season at 0-4. She allowed just five hits and an unearned run with two strikeouts in a complete game effort, all on just 56 pitches.
Rocha tossed a four-hitter and struck out six in a complete game outing.
Rio snapped a scoreless tie in the third when Carnahan doubled with one out and scored on a two-out hit by Perry.
The RedStorm pushed the lead to 2-0 in the fourth when Young was hit by a pitch to begin the inning and freshman pinch-runner Abbie Bickenheuser (Williamsport, OH) scored on a one-out double by Adams.
St. Mary-of-the-Woods sliced the deficit in half on a sacrifice fly by Scott in the fifth inning, but Brickman retired seven of the final nine batters she faced to wrap up the win.
Rio Grande returns to action on Sunday when it hosts Oakland City University in another RSC twin bill.
First pitch for game one is set for 1 p.m.
