MIAMI SOFTBALL

Saturday sweep  keeps RedHawks in title race

Maddie Patton gets a group hug at home. (MVsmith/MRO)

By MIKE SMITH
OXFORD, OH -- Miami softball coach Mandy Gardner-Colegate said getting Saturday's double-header against Buffalo in was critical. Despite  on-again-off-again showers for much of the afternoon, the games were played and Miami took advantage of its opportunities. The RedHawks run-ruled UB twice -- 8-0 in the opener and 10-2 in Game Two. 

With the wins, Miami moved . . . 

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. . . to 19-7 in MAC play (30-23 overall). League-leading Ohio, meanwhile, split with  Western Michigan  Saturday. That leaves the 'Cats at 18-7. Both MU and the Bobcats have one more game on their regular season schedule. The RedHawks face Buffalo Sunday (noon). Ohio, which defeated MU in all three regular season meetings, meets WMU again. A Miami win and Ohio loss would move MU into first place ahead of next week's conference tournament. 

"If we weren't able to  play these, we were probably going to end up in fourth (place) no matter what, which is just crazy," Gardner-Colegate said. "These games were really crucial. I was really appreciative of the Buffalo staff for being so willing to work with us to get (the games) in and really understanding that these games are important. They understand that if the roles were reversed, we would do the same for them. That was really, really kind of them."

Le'a Chevrier finished up Game Two. (MVSmith/MRO)

Madi Reeves went the distance in Game One, tying her season high with 11 strikeouts over six innings. She walked three and scattered six hits while raising her 2025 record to 20-10. 

Genevieve Longsdorf (4-13) took the loss for Buffalo, She struck out four, walked one and allowed nine hits by eight difference players. Among the nine hits were three homers -- two in the final two batters. 

With an accelerated break between games, Le'a Chevrier wasn't quite ready. Reeves then started Game Two, throwing three innings of two-hit ball. She surrendered one run, walking one and striking out one. Chevrier finished for Miami, surrendering one unearned  run and one hit while registering one strikeout, one walk and one HBP. 
"I'm really proud of Madi and Le'a," Gardner-Colegate said.  "It's tough to pitch in these kind of environments, and they don't even let it bother them. ... (Buffalo) has been on a hot streak. They took two games from Ball State (and) they've been scoring a lot of runs. "

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Olivia Russ (8-12) took the loss for Buffalo, going just 1.2 innings while giving up six runs. Marissa Calloway finished, allowing four runs (3 earned) on seven hits. 

The RedHawks totaled 12 hits in Game Two, with Chloe Parks and McKenna Campbell stroking three hits apiece to lead the way. 

Madi Reeves pitched in both games and tied her season high in strikeouts in the opener (MVSmith/MRO)

GAME ONE: MIAMI 8, BUFFALO 0
• Ella Carter opened scoring in the second inning with a solo homer to left field. One out and two singles later, Holly Merritt came home while UB tried to catch Erin Pinter on a steal of second. Danitza Hernandez' double brought Pinter home for a 3-1 Miami edge.
• Two singles opened the Miami third inning and both runners moved up on steals. Carter brought Kaylee Oh home on a sacrifice fly to right. MU led 4-1.
• Neither team scored again until the sixth. UB retired the first two RedHawks, but Golembiewski got the final Miami rally started with a double down the left field line. 
After a walk to Merritt, Patton drove a pinch hit homer to center field. Hernandez followed, and drove her first pitch out to center for a game-ending homer. 

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McKenna Campbell gets a high five after a homer in Game Two. (MVSmith/MRO)

GAME TWO: MIAMI 10, BUFFALO 2
• Kunkel opened Miami's first inning with a walk and two outs later came home on a Campbell single. 
• Kunkel's one-out single to center plated the first of five MU runs in the second. Parks singled in two more before Campbell capped the rally with a two-run homer to left. 
• Buffalo scored its first run of the day in the third. UB put two on with a walk and a single. Two outs later, Terwilliger drove an RBI double to left.
• Miami responded with a run of its own in the bottom half. Merritt lead off with a double, moved on third on a fly to right and scored on Hernandez fly to center field. 
• Both teams added single runs in the fourth. 
Chevrier came on to pitch for MU and hit the first batter. Another Bull reached on a RedHawk error. Both moved up on a ground out. Isabella Smithson then scored on a fly out to left. Buffalo trailed 7-2. 
• Parks opened MU's fourth with a double and scored an out later on an errant throw to first. 
• Parks' two-out double to center scored Kunkel. Campbell followed with a single to center, scoring Parks with the 10th run to finish a run-rule victory. 
• Campbell drove in four runs, while Parks recorded three RBIs and scored twice. 

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