MIAMI SOFTBALL

Loss to OSU ends RedHawk softball season

By MIKE SMITH
KNOXVILLE, TN -- Shortly after last Sunday's NCAA Softball Tournament bracket reveal show, Miami Head Coach Mandy Gardner-Colegate observed that her RedHawks were heading to what was probably one of the tourney's tougher brackets. Results suggest the observation was pretty accurate. 

Miami stayed alive in the Knoxville regional Saturday with a 4-3 win over North Carolina. However, MU fell to Ohio State 11-1 in a game that followed about an hour later. 

The Buckeyes, coached by . . . 

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. . . former RedHawks HC Karin Kumar top the nation in homers and drilled several tape measure jobs among four home runs and nine total hits. 
It was the second run-rule loss of the tourney for Miami. It was also the second time MU used all three pitchers.

Leah Chevrier (12-10) got the start (and loss) against OSU. After walking the first two batters, she surrendered a homer to left by Kami Kortokrax. It was her first of two round trippers on the day. 

While Chevrier finished the inning with three-straight fly outs, it would be her only inning or work. 

Freshman Lorin Boutte (21-9) started for Ohio State and quickly allowed two baserunners. Senior Shelby Kunkel opened with a single to left. One out later, Chloe Parks walked. Both runners, however, were stranded. 

Madilyn Reeves, who pitched all seven innings earlier in the win over North Carolina, started the second inning. While she walked one and gave up a single, three strikeouts allowed MU to escape the stanza without damage. 

Ohio State did tack on a run in the third with Reagan Milliken's solo shot to  to right center. However, Miami made it a 4-1 contest with its only run. Kaylee Oh singled off the pitcher and went to second on an errant throw. Parks followed with an RBI single to center. 

The Buckeyes pulled away in the fourth, plating five runs on five hits. Kortokrax's long homer to left center highlighted the rally. It also ended Reeve's day as freshman Shelbie Krieger took over in the circle. After giving up a hit, she got two ground outs to end the inning. Ohio State now led 9-1. 

The game's final two runs came on Hadley Parisien's two-run homer.in the fifth. 

NOTES:
• Chevrier gave up three runs with one hit and two walks in one inning of work. She threw 24 pitches. 
Reeves went 2.1 innings, allowing six runs on six hits with two walks and four Ks. She threw 53 pitches.
Krieger logged 1.2 innings, permitting two runs on two hits with one walk and one strikeout. She threw 28 pitches. 
• The Buckeyes' power-laden lineup bears remarkable similaries to the powerful teams Kumar developed at Miami. It probably shouldn't be a surprise that she was able to bring quick success to OSU in the portal/NIL era. 
• Among the starters for OSU was Sami Bewick. The sophomore infielder was named Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year in 2024 when she played for Miami. 
• The RedHawks scored runs in just three innings over three games in Knoxville. The only multiple-run inning was the second inning in Saturday's first game. Those four runs were decisive in a 4-3 win. 
• Golembiewski's homer against North Carolina was Miami's only home run of the weekend.