Rio Grande Sports Information
RIO GRANDE, Ohio - The sometimes dual-personality season that the University of Rio Grande softball team is experiencing in 2024 was on full display Sunday afternoon at Rio Softball Park.
Head coach Chris Hammond's club took on the persona of Dr. Henry Jekyll in the opening game of its River States Conference doubleheader against West Virginia University-Tech, rolling to an 8-0 mercy rule-shortened triumph over the Golden Bears.
But it was Jekyll's alter-ego, Mr. Edward Hyde, which was on display in game two as the visitors managed a split of the twin bill by blanking the RedStorm, 6-0.
Rio Grande, which had posted a pair of shutout wins over Tech just five days earlier, moved to 23-13 overall and 15-9 in the RSC as a result of the split.
The Golden Bears headed home at 10-24 overall and 6-17 in league play.
Game one saw Rio jump to a 4-0 lead in the opening inning and ride another strong pitching performance by junior Madison Ogden (Williamsburg, OH) the rest of the way.
Ogden, who tossed a shutout against the Bears in Tuesday's opening game win, fired a three-hit shutout on Sunday. She fanned a dozen batters and did not issue a walk.
Junior Peyton Young (Mt. Orab, OH) had a two-run double and senior Lexi Carnahan (Felicity, OH) tacked on a sacrifice fly in the RedStorm's four-run first.
That's how things stayed until Rio added three more runs in the fifth and another run in the sixth.
Carnahan had an RBI double in the fifth and sophomore Natalie Bates (Vandalia, OH) added a run-scoring single in the inning, while sophomore Gabby Adams (Grove City, OH) added a sacrifice fly in the sixth.
Ogden finished 2-for-2 with a double, while senior Caitlyn Brisker (Oak Hill, OH) also went 2-for-2.
Maggie Richards had two of the three hits for WVU-Tech.
Kaylie Lawrence started and lost for the Golden Bears, allowing four hits and as many runs in just 1-1/3 innings.
In game two, it was Tech's Taylor Dickerson who dealt a shutout. After allowing only a first inning run in a 1-0 game two loss to Rio on Tuesday, the right-hander scattered eight singles and struck out seven in a complete game effort.
Senior Sydney Campolo (New Lexington, OH), who got the win opposite of Dickerson earlier in the week, was touched for eight hits and six runs - four earned - over four innings.
Five of the six runs allowed by Campolo came with two outs.
In the third inning, after the first two batters had been retired, Kyleigh Jackson doubled, Olivia Barnett singled and Macy Wilkens clubbed a three-run homer to give Tech a 3-0 cushion.
The Golden Bears added three more runs in the fourth when Richards led off with a single and was bunted into scoring position. Back-to-back singles by pinch-hitter Scarlett Janney and Tori Wells loaded the bases and Makenzie Holley kept the hit parade going with a single to center to make it 4-0.
Jackson forced Janney at home on a fielder's choice grounder to third, but two more runs scored moments later when Barnett's grounder to third was booted for an error.
Rio Grande left two runners on base in the second, stranded another in the third and left the bases loaded in the fifth.
The RedStorm stranded two more runners in scoring position in the seventh.
Brisker finished 3-for-4 in the loss, while Adams and sophomore Kayla Sedgwick (Richwood, OH) had two hits each.
Barnett finished 2-for-4 with a double, while Richards, Janney and Hailea Skeens also had two hits apiece in the victory.
Jackson also doubled in the win.
Rio Grande is scheduled to return to action on Monday when it hosts Lindsey Wilson College in a non-conference doubleheader.
First pitch for the opening game is set for 2 p.m.
