PORTSMOUTH – Softball split its second doubleheader of the season against Rio Grande at home Saturday afternoon after the Bears previously split a doubleheader at Rio Grande in the middle of March. Once again, the Bears (18-11, 10-8 MSC) took the opening game – winning by a 1-0 final on a walk-off single be Hannah Dittoe (SO/Pickerington, Ohio). However, the Red Storm (18-9, 11-7 MSC) responded with its own shutout, 3-0, in game two. Rio Grande's victory in game two snapped what was a seven-game winning streak for the Bears.
Allie Chapman (JR/Chesapeake, Ohio) was brilliant all day in the circle for the Bears' in the opening game. She retired six of the first seven batters that she faced on the day with the lone exception being a one-out walk in the top of the second inning. SSU had its chances early as the Bears loaded the bases in each of the first two innings, but RedStorm hurler Jenna Jones stranded each of those six runners.
The only two hits Chapman allowed all game long, both singles, came in the third and fifth innings. The closest Rio Grande came to scoring was in the third inning when the RedStorm used that single and a walk, along with a sacrifice bunt, to move the two runners into scoring position. However, Chapman escaped that jam with a ground out to second.
Chapman pitched her third perfect inning of the day in the top half of the seventh. She would finally get the only support she needed in the bottom half of that inning.
The Bears stranded runners in five of the first six innings as a total of 10 runners were left on base during that time. Holly Brabson (SR/Piketon, Ohio) started off the seventh with a walk to put the leadoff runner aboard for the third straight inning. She was then moved into scoring position on a groundout to third by Abbey Barrett (SR/Franklin Furnace, Ohio) and advanced to third on a wild pitch during the next at-bat.
After that wild pitch during Dittoe's at-bat, the Bears' sophomore singled right back through the middle to score Brabson and give Shawnee State the opening game victory. Dittoe's one-out hit was the Bears' fifth of the game.
Chapman picked up her 10th win of the season in what was her 14th complete game outing. The two-hit shutout was her third shutout of the season and 10th of her Shawnee State career. In addition to her two hits, Chapman walked three and struck out three batters.
In the second game, Rio Grande's Tiffany Bise threw her first career shutout against the Bears – a four-hit effort – to give her team the split. The RedStorm took the lead in the second inning. After a leadoff single, SSU starter Miranda Pauley (FR/Portsmouth, Ohio) got the next two outs. However, back-to-back two-out singles would score the game's first run. The RedStorm got their second run of the game in the next inning when Kim Rollins hit a two-out home run over the left field fence to make it 2-0 after three innings.
Shawnee State left two runners on base in the second and third innings with another stranded in the fourth and fifth innings but could not push a run across to cut the gap. In the top of the sixth, Rio Grande scored its third two-out run of the game, this one coming after an infield miscue, to make the score 3-0.
Barrett led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a double. However, that would be the Bears' final base runner of the game as Bise set down the final six hitters she faced. Bise finished her complete game effort allowing just four hits and two walks. Pauley also went seven innings, allowing nine hits and three runs (two earned) to drop to 8-3 on the year.
Softball will be back in action tomorrow against Lindsey Wilson. That doubleheader will get underway at 1 p.m. at Boone Coleman Field.
