RedStorm drops IU Columbus in tourney opener

Rio Grande Sports Information
     SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The University of Rio Grande scored three times in the fourth inning to snap a 2-2 tie and then added a pair of insurance runs in the fifth inning en route to a 7-3 win over Indiana University Columbus in the opening round of the River States Conference Softball Championship, Thursday afternoon, at Little Creek Park.
     The RedStorm, who are seeded third in the six-team, double-elimination tournament, improved to 34-17 with the victory and advanced to Friday's winner's bracket semifinal against No. 2 seed Shawnee State University.
     The sixth-seeded Crimson Pride, who dropped to 20-23 with the loss, will take on the loser of Friday's other winner's bracket semifinal between No. 1 seed Oakland City University and fourth-seeded Indiana University Southeast in an elimination game on Friday at 2 p.m.
     IU Columbus grabbed a 1-0 first inning lead when Linnea Baldner reached on an error to begin the game and scored on a one-out double by Mallory Shelton, but Rio Grande took a 2-1 advantage in the third thanks to an RBI double by junior Kendyl Moss (Cincinnati, OH) and a sacrifice fly by senior Natalie Bates (Vandalia, OH).
     The Crimson Pride knotted the score at 2-2 following a run-scoring hit by Lily Culp in the top of the fourth inning, but the RedStorm went in front to stay by pushing across three tallies in the bottom of the frame.
     Junior Nigella Reck's (Covington, OH) go-ahead sacrifice fly preceded a two-run single by freshman Macy Kise (Milford Center, OH).
     Rio tacked on two more markers in the fifth after a run-scoring hit by senior Meg McCallum (Belmont, Ontario, Canada) and a fielder's choice force out off the bat of Reck to make it 7-2.
     IU Columbus set the final score in the seventh when Baldner led off with a triple to left and scored on a single by Lex Heafner.
     Reck had a double and two RBI for Rio Grande, while Kise also drove in two runs and sophomore Delana Landefeld (Williamsport, OH) finished 2-for-3.
     McCallum picked up her 17th win in 20 decisions in the pitcher's circle, scattering eight hits and allowing two earned runs in a complete game effort.
     Chloe Linn went the distance in the loss for IUC, allowing eight hits and five walks with three strikeouts.
     Heafner finished 3-for-3 and Baldner had two hits for the Crimson Pride.
     First pitch for Rio's game with Shawnee State is set for noon.
     A victory would mean a meeting with the Oakland City-IU Southeast winner in the winner's bracket final on Friday at 4 p.m., while a loss would precipitate a matchup with Brescia University in an elimination contest at 2 p.m.