Bears drop bouts to RedStorm, Crimson Pride; finish season 27-18

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W. Va. -- The softball program at Shawnee State finished out the 2025 season with its second straight appearance in the River States Conference Softball Championship Tournament in as many seasons competing in the conference, ultimately falling to Rio Grande (9-0 in five innings) and Indiana-Columbus (6-3) to see its 2025 season come to a close in RSC Championship action that was held at Little Creek Park in South Charleston, W. Va.

Game Summaries

Shawnee State was unable to crack the code that many have been unable to do this season on River States Conference Pitcher of the Year and Player of the Year in Rio Grande's Madison Ogden in Game 1. The Bears did get a second-inning double to left center field from Mackenzie Hale, while nine-hole hitter Emily Cheatham reached base on a bunt single and Sierra Dunnagan walked in the third inning to put two runners on base in the latter frame, but Shawnee State couldn't push a run across in the Game 1 loss.

In an elimination game against Indiana-Columbus, Shawnee State jumped on the Crimson Pride early. Following a hit batter and a steal of second base by Shawnee State junior outfielder Jenna Christopher, Hale pushed Christopher across with a key two-out RBI single to score the speedy No. 2 hitter in the batting order, giving the Bears a 1-0 lead after an inning of work.

In the third inning of competition, the Bears struck again as a leadoff walk by Dunnagan and a bunt single by Christopher allowed Genavie Espinoza to drive in Dunnagan with an RBI single while Christopher advanced to third base. Hale then drove in Christopher on a 4-3 RBI groundout, giving Shawnee State a 3-0 advantage through three innings of play.

Indiana-Columbus, however, was able to rally back. In the fourth frame, a walk by Renee Lecher was followed by a single by Hannah Taylor, with an error on Taylor's hit allowing both to score as Shawnee State's lead was cut to a 3-2 count through four complete.

Shawnee State maintained that lead through five innings, but in the sixth, Indiana-Columbus' Isabel Johnson reached and back-to-back singles by Justice Cash and Lecher allowed IUC to tie the score at three-all. Two batters later, the Crimson Pride's Mallory Shelton broke the tie with a single back up the middle of the diamond, and Lily Culp gave Indiana-Columbus the necessary insurance it needed with her two-run triple to the right field corner, forcing the Bears to settle for defeat.

Senior Class

Despite the season-ending setbacks, the quintet of Bianca Belo-Diaz, Cameryn Davidson, Genavie Espinoza, Mackenzie Hale and Emma Wargel were all critical components to the success of the softball program over each of the last two seasons.

The five players listed above led Shawnee State to a 63-29 overall record with a 2024 River States Conference East Division crown, a 2024 River States Conference Tournament Runner-Up finish and two top-four finishes in the River States Conference in Kristen Bradshaw's first two seasons as head coach. The Bears went 44-20 in River States Conference play during the regular season with the help of the above five players.

Each of the above five players earned All-River States Conference accolades at least one time over the course of their careers -- Belo-Diaz, Second-Team All-RSC in 2024, Davidson, First-Team All-RSC in 2025, Espinoza, Second-Team All-RSC in 2025, Wargel, Second-Team All-RSC in 2025 and Hale, First-Team All-RSC in 2024 and 2025 -- and all five individuals helped lead the Shawnee State softball program to its best win total in consecutive seasons since the 1998 and 1999 campaigns, when SSU went 74-22.