Rio Grande Sports Information
RIO GRANDE, Ohio - It wasn't the outcome that the University of Rio Grande was looking for, but it certainly beat the alternative.
The RedStorm pulled away late for a 7-1 game two victory and salvaged a split of its River States Conference doubleheader with Brescia University, Friday afternoon, at Rio Softball Park.
The win came on the heels of a 4-3 loss in the opener of the twin bill which saw Rio Grande surrender three two-out runs to the Bearcats in the top of the seventh - and final - inning.
The split left the RedStorm at 21-12 overall and 14-6 in league play, but cost head coach Chris Hammond's club a chance to move into second place outright in the RSC standings after Shawnee State University dropped both ends of its doubleheader at home to Indiana University Southeast.
Brescia finished the day at 14-20 overall and 9-11 against conference foes.
The game two win saw Rio Grande take a 1-0 first inning lead on an RBI single by junior Nigella Reck (Covington, OH) before scoring three more times in the fifth inning as a result of a wild pitch, an error and a passed ball.
The Bearcats scored what proved to be their only run in the sixth inning on a solo home run by Emma Kate Elrod, but Rio got the run back - plus two - on a three-run home run by Reck in the bottom of the inning to set the final score.
Reck finished 3-for-3 with four RBI, while sophomore Delana Landefeld (Williamsport, OH), senior Natalie Bates (Vandalia, OH) and sophomore Lindzie Runions (Poca, WV) all had two hits each in the win. Landefeld and Runions both had doubles.
Senior Meg McCallum (Belmont, Ontario, Canada) picked up her ninth win in 12 decisions, allowing six hits in a complete game performances.
Katy Fisher started and took the loss for Brescia, allowing five hits and a run over 3-1/3 innings.
Addy Harris had two hits in a losing cause for the Bearcats.
Game one was a pitcher's duel through five innings between Brescia's Felicity Cunningham and Rio Grande freshman Macy Kise (Milford Center, OH).
The Bearcats snapped a scoreless tie with a two-out, run-scoring single by Madison McDaniel in the third inning, while Rio tied the game in the fifth when Kise helped her own cause with a RBI single.
Rio Grande, which had struggled to find the big hit throughout much of the contest - stranding nine runners on base, including five in scoring position, over the first five frames - finally came through in bottom of the sixth to take the lead.
Runions led off with a double and scored the go-ahead run moments later when Landefeld had a double of her own. Junior Kendyl Moss (Cincinnati, OH) followed with a walk and, one out later, moved to second when Landefeld was forced out at third on Reck's fielder's choice grounder to shortstop.
Kise then tacked on her second run-scoring hit of the game with a single to center which plated Moss and moved the lead to 3-1.
The lead proved short-lived, though.
Mikah Goeppner ended up at second base after her one-out flyball to center was dropped for an error and, one out later, pinch-runner Averi Garrett scored on a first pitch single to center off the bat of Lilli Grant.
After a walk to McDaniel, Elrod delivered a double to left which plated Grant with the tying run and McDaniel with the go-ahead marker.
Fisher then retired Rio in order in the bottom of the seventh to nail down Brescia's second all-time win against the RedStorm - both of which have come this season.
Elrod and Grant both had two hits in the win.
Fisher, the last of three Brescia pitchers, earned the win by allowing one hit and striking out two over two scoreless innings of relief.
Kise was the hard-luck loser for the RedStorm, allowing eight hits and only one earned run in a complete game effort.
In addition to Kise, Rio Grande also got two hits - including a triple - from Reck.
Rio Grande is scheduled to return to action on Saturday when it hosts Indiana University Columbus for two more River States Conference contests.
First pitch for the opener is set for 1 p.m. EDT.
