RIO GRANDE — Boo Sturgill’s leadoff home run in the bottom of the eighth inning gave the University of Rio Grande a 6-5 game-two win over Oakland City University — and allowed the RedStorm to salvage a split of their River States Conference twinbill against the Mighty Oaks on Sunday afternoon at Rio Softball Park.

Oakland City posted a 1-0 win in the opening game of the doubleheader, pushing across a run in the seventh inning without the aid of a basehit.

Rio Grande finished the day at 14-10 and 4-2 in conference play.

Sturgill, a sophomore from Wheelersburg, hit a pitch which bounced off the top of the fence in left-center field — and over for her third long ball of the season and third hit of the day.

She finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored.

The walkoff victory also allowed Rio to survive a two-out, two-run seventh inning rally by Oakland City, which led to the game going extra innings.

The Mighty Oaks grabbed a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but Rio Grande scored twice in the home half of the frame on RBI-hits by freshman Madison Perry of Portsmouth and sophomore Peyton Young to make it 3-2.

The same duo helped the RedStorm grab the lead in the bottom of the fourth.

Perry tied the game on a run-scoring fielder’s choice grounder to shortstop, while Young gave the hosts a 5-3 lead moments later with a two-run single.

That’s how things stayed until the top of the seventh, when the Mighty Oaks knotted the score at 5-all on a two-out, two-run double by Megan Ghrist.

Sturgill’s homer in the eighth gave Rio the walkoff win.

Like Sturgill, Perry and Young had three hits apiece in the victory, while freshman Gabby Adams finished 2-for-4.

Rio sweeps ALC

PIPPA PASSES, Ky. — The University of Rio Grande parlayed a two-out, extra inning rally into a game one win, while freshman Gabby Adams fueled a game-two rout as the RedStorm swept a River States Conference softball doubleheader from Alice Lloyd College on Monday afternoon at Reeve Softball Field.

Rio scored four times in the eighth inning for a 5-1 victory in the opener of the twinbill, while Adams had three hits and drove in a career-high six runs in a mercy rule-shortened 13-2 win over the host Eagles in the nightcap.

Rio Grande finished the day at 16-10 and 6-2 in conference play.

Sturgill finished 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a run batted in, while senior Christen Risner of Wheelersburg went 3-for-3 with a triple, a double and a run batted in.

Perry also had three hits, including a double, in the RedStorm’s 18-hit attack.