Reinhardt tops RedStorm in Marion Bracket final

Rio Grande Sports Information
     MARION, Ind. - In the game of softball, the third out of an inning can sometimes be the hardest one to negotiate.
     Reinhardt (Ga.) University spotted the University of Rio Grande an early lead before manufacturing a pair of two-out runs in both the third and fourth innings and posting a 4-2 win over the RedStorm, Thursday afternoon, in the championship game of the Marion Bracket in the NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round at Sue Bowman Field.
     The Eagles improved to 32-10 with the victory and became the first No. 5 seed to advance from the Opening Round to the NAIA World Series.
     Rio Grande, which was ranked No. 25 nationally and seeded third in the five-team bracket, was denied its first trip to the World Series and finished its season at 46-11 with the loss - its second at the hands of the Eagles in the tourney.
     Head coach Chris Hammond's squad also came up one win shy of equaling the single-season school record for wins.
     The RedStorm jumped to a 1-0 first inning lead when junior Kayla Sedgwick (Richwood, OH) was hit by a pitch, stole second, moved to third on a single by senior Madi Ogden (Williamsburg, OH) and scored on a double to left-center by Gabby Adams (Grove City, OH).
     Reinhardt grabbed the lead in the third inning when Maddie English reached on a one-out single to center, moved to second on a passed ball while Eryn Lee was striking out and scored on a double to left by Taylor Wade.
     Wade then took third on a wild pitch before scoring the go-ahead run as Maddie Wright reached on a throwing error.
     The Eagles added to their advantage in the fourth when Molly Stevens drew a two-out walk and Shallyn Olszowy followed with a run-scoring double to left. Emma Scott came on to run for Olszowy and scored moments later on a triple to center by English.
     Rio Grande sliced the deficit to 4-2 in the home fifth when Sedgwick opened the inning by reaching third base on a pair of errors and scoring on a single by sophomore Maddie Engler (Crestline, OH).
     Engler eventually reached second base on a two-out wild pitch and senior Megan Bazler (Portsmouth, OH) drew a walk to put the tying runs on base, but Reinhardt starting pitcher Anslie Pettit retired sophomore Nigella Reck (Covington, OH) on a foul out to end the threat.
     The RedStorm's last gasp to rally came in the seventh inning when Ogden singled with two outs to bring the tying run to the plate, but Adams popped to shortstop to close out the contest.
     Ogden and Adams had two hits each in the loss for Rio Grande.
     Ogden took the loss in the pitcher's circle, allowing five hits and four runs - three earned - over four-plus innings. She walked four and struck out three.
     Pettit, a transfer from NCAA Division I Georgia Southern University, went the distance to get the win for the Eagles. She scattered seven hits, walked one and fanned nine.
     Wade and English both had two hits and a run batted in to fuel the winning effort.