Rio Grande Sports Information
RIO GRANDE, Ohio - The University of Rio Grande started fast in both games and cruised to a doubleheader sweep of West Virginia University-Tech, Tuesday afternoon, in River States Conference softball action at Rio Softball Park.
The RedStorm recorded a pair of mercy rule-shortened victories, rolling the Golden Bears by scores of 13-3 and 14-6. Both games were stopped in the fifth inning.
Rio Grande pushed its record to 27-14 overall and 20-8 against RSC foes, completing a regular season sweep of Tech in the process.
The Golden Bears dropped to 8-24 overall and 6-22 in the conference with the losses.
Rio Grande scored six times in the first inning of the opening game and never looked back, adding two runs in both the second and third innings and three more markers in the fourth.
WVU-Tech recorded two of its three runs in its final at bat.
Sophomore Emily Lane (Charlotte, N.C.) went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs, while junior Nigella Reck (Covington, OH) doubled twice and drove in three and senior Natalie Bates (Vandalia, OH was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI.
Sophomores Delana Landefeld (Williamsport, OH) and Lindzie Runions (Poca, WV) also had two hits each and drove in a run. Runions' hit total included a double.
Freshman Macy Kise (Milford Center, OH) earned the win in the pitcher's circle, allowing five hits and a run while striking out six over four innings.
Meghan Gill started and lost for WVU-Tech, allowing 10 hits and 10 runs over three innings.
Hailea Skeens had two hits in the loss for the Golden Bears.
Game two saw WVU-Tech jump to a 3-0 advantage before the RedStorm ever came to bat, but Rio responded with another six-run start of its own.
A pair of third inning runs and four markers in the fourth inning pushed the lead to 12-3 and had the RedStorm three outs from a win, but the hosts were forced to bat again after the Golden Bears rallied for three runs in the top of the fifth.
Rio ended the game in the bottom of the frame on a two-out, two-run double by freshman Adelyn Wolfe (Lancaster, OH).
Bates finished 3-for-4 with a double and four RBI, while Wolfe was 3-for-3 with two doubles and two runs batted in.
Lane had two hits and two RBI in the win, while Reck was 2-for-4 with an RBI, Runions finished 2-for-3, senior Meg McCallum (Belmont, Ontario, Canada) had two hits and freshman Gabby Henry (Williamsport, OH) drove in two runs.
McCallum earned her 12th win in 16 decisions in the circle, allowing eight hits and six runs - only two of which were earned - in a complete game performance.
Taylor Scott went the distance in the loss for WVU-Tech.
Ashleigh James was 3-for-3 with a double and a run batted in for the Golden Bears, while Skeens was 2-for-3.
Rio Grande returns to action on Friday afternoon when it hosts St. Mary-of-the-Woods in another RSC twin bill.
First pitch for game one is set for 2 p.m.
