Benedict senior third baseman Charae Rice (Nansemond River) is piling up huge offensive numbers for the fourth straight softball season.

Eight games into Benedict’s season, Rice is hitting .652 (15-for-23) with 10 runs, nine RBI, three walks, three doubles, two home runs and two stolen bases.

In one three-game stretch earlier this season Rice went 10-for-10 at the plate with eight runs scored.

Rice was a national leader or close to it in many offensive categories last season at the NCAA Division II level. She led the nation in batting average at .545, and was second in on-base percentage (.604) and doubles per game (19 doubles in 38 games).

In Thursday’s action in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament No. 6-seeded Cincinnati advanced to the third round with a 78-63 win over No. 11 Missouri in Washington, D.C.

The Bearcats (26-8) held Missouri without a field goal for an 11-minute span from about eight minutes left in the first half to early in the second half. UC led 40-28 at halftime and by at least six points the rest of the way.

Cincinnati matches up against No. 3 Connecticut (27-9) Saturday at 9:40 p.m. at the Verizon Center.

No. 8 Butler edged No. 9 Old Dominion 60-58. The Bulldogs and Monarchs fought through 21 lead changes and no side led by more than six points at any point.

ODU (27-7) fought back from a 58-52 deficit with 2:35 left to a 58-58 tie on an ODU hoop with 0:32 left. Matt Howard’s offensive rebound and lay-up as time expired won it for the Bulldogs.

Suffolk native, Peninsula Catholic alum and George Mason pitcher Stephanie Maher was the CAA softball Rookie of the Week for the week ending Mar. 15.

Maher’s 3-1 with a 1.52 ERA and 12 strikeouts and seven walks in 23.0 innings pitched on the season. Her last win came in a 5-4, nine-inning win versus Binghamton on Saturday. Maher held Binghamton to one run in the last five innings. The Lady Patriots (7-7) tied the game in the seventh to get to extra innings and won it in the ninth.

Virginia Wesleyan freshman Reid Hoffler (Nansemond River) earned his first collegiate pitching victory on Wednesday as the Marlins won 9-7 in 11 innings at ODAC (Old Dominion Athletic Conference) rival Randolph-Macon.

Hoffler entered the game in the bottom of the tenth and held the Yellow Jackets scoreless for two innings, including a 1-2-3 11th after the Marlins (9-13, 3-4) gained the lead in the top half of the frame.

Hoffler has a 1-2 record with a 5.40 ERA in 10 games, all from the bullpen. Sophomore Jeremy Hagwood (Lakeland) is 0-1 with a 4.32 ERA in five games for the Marlins.

VMI’s baseball squad went 2-2 on a trip to Corevalis, Ore. last weekend. The Keydets (9-8-1) won twice against New Mexico St. and lost twice to host Oregon St.

In a 7-2 win over NMSU, senior Justin Topping (Nansemond River) went 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI for the Keydets. For the season, Topping’s hitting .389 in nine games.

VMI’s early schedule’s included losing three games at then-No. 10 Florida St., winning 8-2 at then-No. 27 James Madison and losing 4-3 at then-No. 10 Virginia. VMI is playing a three-game series at Winthrop this weekend.