Rio Grande Sports Information
RIO GRANDE, Ohio - University of Rio Grande starting pitchers Madison Ogden and Kali Brickman both allowed just one run each, while the RedStorm offense was more than sufficient over the course of the day in a doubleheader sweep of Alice Lloyd College, Friday afternoon, in River States Conference softball action at the Reeve Softball Field.
Rio Grande posted an 8-1 triumph in the opening game, while taking the nightcap, 11-1, in a contest stopped after five innings by mercy rule
The RedStorm improved to 28-16 overall and 20-10 in conference play with the win, setting up a major showdown with rival Shawnee State on Saturday afternoon in the regular season finale for both teams.
The Bears divided a doubleheader at home with WVU-Tech on Friday, meaning that Rio could tie SSU for the top spot in the RSC East Division by sweeping the Bears in their twin bill against each other.
A sweep by the RedStorm would give the RedStorm the tiebreaker and, thus, the top seed from the East in the RSC Tournament, which gets underway next Thursday at Little Creek Park in South Charleston, W.Va.
Friday's sweep at the hands of the RedStorm left Alice Lloyd at 14-32 overall and 3-27 in the RSC.
Game one saw Ogden, a junior from Williamsburg, Ohio, limit the Eagles to just three hits - all by leadoff batter Mckenzie Orfield. Her hit total included a double and a third inning solo home run.
Ogden walked three and fanned five in a complete game effort, earning her 14th win in 21 decisions.
Rio Grande did the bulk of its offensive damage in two innings, scoring four times in the second inning and pushing across a trio of runs in the fourth inning.
Senior Caitlyn Brisker (Oak Hill, OH) had a two-run double to highlight the four-run second, while sophomore Natalie Bates (Vandalia, OH) had a run-scoring single and junior Boo Sturgill (Wheelersburg, OH) had a sacrifice fly.
Sturgill also had an RBI single in the fourth inning, while Ogden helped her own cause with a run-scoring hit of her own and junior Peyton Young (Mt. Orab, OH) had an RBI double.
Young also accounted for the RedStorm's third inning marker with a solo home run.
Brisker finished with a pair of doubles in the winning effort.
Katie Samuel started and lost for ALC, allowing three hits and four runs - two earned - over to-plus innings.
In the back end of the doubleheader, Rio Grande scored twice in the second inning and three times in the third for a 5-0 lead and then set itself up for the run-rule victory by scoring six times in the fifth.
Senior Lexi Carnahan (Felicity, OH) and sophomore Kayla Sedgwick (Richwood, OH) each drove in a run in the second inning, while sophomore Gabby Adams (Grove City, OH) clubbed a three-run home run in the third.
Adams added a two-run single and Sedgwick had a two-run double as part of the six-run fifth.
The offensive explosion was more than enough for Brickman - a senior from Huber Heights, Ohio, who allowed six hits and struck out three. She was within one out of tossing a shutout before the Eagles pushed across an unearned run in the home fifth.
Kirsten Vice started and took the loss for ALC, allowing eight hits and nine runs over 4-1/3 innings.
Vice finished 2-for-2 at the plate for the Eagles.
In addition to Adams, Ogden, Carnahan and junior Megan Bazler (Portsmouth, OH) all had two hits each. Carnahan's hits were both doubles and one of Bazler's was a double.
Rio's doubleheader at Shawnee State on Saturday begins at 3 p.m. in West Portsmouth. The late start is to accomodate SSU's commencement ceremony earlier in the day.
