Rio Grande Sports Information
RIO GRANDE, Ohio - Madi Ogden pitched and hit the University of Rio Grande to a game one victory, while a late rally produced a game two win and a doubleheader sweep of Oakland City University in River States Conference softball action, Saturday afternoon, at Rio Softball Park.
The RedStorm took game one, 1-0, before scoring five times in the bottom of the sixth inning for a come-from-behind 6-3 triumph in the nightcap.
Rio Grande improved to 19-5 overall and 11-1 in conference play with the wins.
Oakland City finished the day at 10-10 overall and 6-6 in the RSC.
Ogden, a senior from Williamsburg, Ohio, cracked a two-out, first inning home run - her first longball of the season - to give Rio an early lead in the opener and then took care of the rest in the pitcher's circle.
Ogden tossed a five-hitter and fanned 14 for her 10th win in 13 decisions.
Madison Shipley was the hard luck loser for OCU, allowing seven hits and the one run while striking out five in a complete game effort.
Ogden and fellow senior Megan Bazler (Portsmouth, OH) had two hits each in the winning effort.
In game two, Rio Grande took a 1-0 lead on a first inning single by Ogden, but the Mighty Oaks got a solo home run by Shipley in the fourth inning and a run-scoring double in the fifth by Emma Williams to take a 2-1 advantage.
The RedStorm mounted a massive rally in the sixth, though. Bazler had a game-tying RBI single before freshman Delana Landefeld (Williamsport, OH) had a bases-clearing, three-run triple to make it 5-2.
Junior Kayla Sedgwick (Richwood, OH) added a double to plate Rio's final run of the inning.
Oakland City made things interesting in the seventh when consecutive one-out singles by Kasey Wood, Katherine Hibbitt and Williams made it 6-3 and brought the would-be tying run to the plate.
Ogden was brought on in relief and retired each of the next two batters routinely to close things out and record a save.
Ogden and Sedgwick both went 3-for-4 with a run batted in at the plate. Sedgwick's hit total included a double.
Sophomore Sammi Speakman (Jefferson, OH), the second of four Rio pitchers, got the win after tossing a scoreless inning. The save was Ogden's third.
Paige McDaniel went the distance in the circle and took the loss for OCU.
Wood, Hibbitt, Williams and Baylee Rhodes all had two hits in the loss for the Mighty Oaks.
Rio Grande will return to action, weather permitting, on Tuesday when it hosts Kentucky Christian University in a non-conference twin bill. First pitch for game one is slated for 3 p.m.
