COLUMBUS, Ind. –  IU Columbus kicked off their River States Conference season with a challenging road trip to Rio Grande, Ohio, falling short in all three games against the RedStorm over the February 28-March 1 weekend.

Game 1: Rio Grande 8, IU Columbus 5

In Friday's opener, the Crimson Pride jumped out to an early 4-0 lead after three innings, highlighted by Jared Ross's second-inning home run to right field. Carson McNulty added to the offensive output with an RBI double, while Lucas Slager and Cyrus Robinson each drove in runs to build what seemed like a comfortable advantage.

Starting pitcher Jack VonDielingen held Rio Grande scoreless through the first two innings before encountering trouble in the third, when defensive miscues proved costly. An error by third baseman Carson McNulty opened the door for the RedStorm, who capitalized with three runs in the frame to cut the deficit to one.

Rio Grande continued their comeback, tying the game in the fourth before taking their first lead in the fifth. The RedStorm would add three more runs over the sixth and seventh innings, building an 8-4 advantage. John Codner's RBI double in the eighth inning brought IU Columbus within three, but the rally fell short as Rio Grande's Hayden Simon closed out the game for his first win of the season.

Despite having 8 hits, IU Columbus was undone by three errors and stranded 8 runners. Carson McNulty and Lucas Slager each collected two hits in the loss.

Game 2: Rio Grande 4, IU Columbus 2

The nightcap of Friday's doubleheader saw another tight contest, with IU Columbus striking first when Jack Robinson scored on a wild pitch in the third inning for a 1-0 lead.

Brayden Furnish pitched admirably for the Crimson Pride, holding Rio Grande scoreless through four innings. However, the game turned dramatically in the fifth when Josiah Devapalan delivered the decisive blow – a grand slam home run that gave the RedStorm a 4-1 advantage.

IU Columbus mounted a comeback attempt in the final inning, with Lucas Slager driving in Johnny Sewell with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 4-2. The rally would end there, as Rio Grande closer Schon Pespisa earned his second save of the season.

Carson McNulty led the Crimson Pride offense with two hits, while Zander Vonch added a double. Despite the loss, IU Columbus showed defensive improvement and limited Rio Grande to just four hits.

Game 3: Rio Grande 9, IU Columbus 2

Saturday's series finale saw Rio Grande complete the sweep with a commanding 9-2 victory over IU Columbus. The RedStorm jumped out early, scoring in the first inning on a throwing error by starting pitcher Aiden Thompson, then adding three more runs in the second to build a 4-0 lead.

The Crimson Pride struggled to generate offense against Rio Grande starter Connor Gullett, who limited IU Columbus to just one hit through 5 innings. Carson McNulty finally got IU Columbus on the board in the sixth with an RBI single that scored Wyatt Sutton, but by then Rio Grande had built an 8-1 advantage, powered by Darwin Oleaga's two-run homer in the fifth.

IU Columbus added another run in the ninth when Ethan Guire reached on an error that allowed Aiden Hapner to score, but it was too little, too late. The Crimson Pride managed just five hits in the game while committing three errors defensively.

Drew Bradley provided a bright spot for the Crimson Pride, allowing just one run over the final three innings.

Looking Ahead
The conference-opening sweep drops IU Columbus to 2-10 overall and 0-3 in conference play, while Rio Grande improves to 7-7 overall and 3-0 in the River States Conference. The Crimson Pride will look to regroup as they continue their conference schedule in the coming weeks.