MIAMI SOFTBALL

Miami blasts KSU to secure regular season title

Kate Kobayashi makes a diving catch late in Game One. (MVSmith/MRO)

By MIKE SMITH
OXFORD, OH  -- It was Senior Day at the Miami Softball Stadium Saturday, and the RedHawks made sure their super-talented seniors went out in a big way. Although MU still has five remaining regular season games -- all on the road -- and the MAC tourney in its future, No. 25 Miami closed out its home schedule with 13-1 and 9-1 victories over Kent State.

The wins not only completed a weekend sweep of the three-game series with KSU, they locked down Miami's fifth straight regular season Mid-American Conference title. The RedHawks are now 40-7 overall and 21-1 in MAC play. Kent State fell to 24-20 on the year (9-12 MAC).

"They're awesome (players and) awesome humans," Miami Head Coach Kirin Kumar said of her seniors. "This is what happens from having them stick together for all four years. It's a big deal." 

Miami's offense, meanwhile, recorded . . . 

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Addy Jarvis (MVSmith/MRO)

. . . 18 hits on the day. Senior Karli Spaid went-3-for-3 with three RBIs to help lead MU in the opener. Freshman Reagan Bartholomew drove in six runs. 
Sophomore Hadley Parisien went 2-for-2 (both homers) and drove in five in Game Two.

Addy Jarvis, who came to MU via Illinois, picked up the wins in both games, raising her season record to 15-1. She allowed just two hits and one run while throwing four of five innings in Game One. Jarvis then came back in Game Two, again limiting the Flashes to one run (unearned) -- this time with three hits over five innings. 

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Reagan Bartholomew blasted two home runs in two innings during Game One. (MVSmith/MRO)

GAME ONE: MIAMI 13, KENT STATE 1
-- The Flashes' only two hits of the contest came in the first inning and plated one run. It was their only lead of the day. Bri Despines doubled to open the contest and Alexandria Whitmore singled her home two batters later. 
Miami came back hard, batting around while putting eight runs on the board. Holly Blaska and Bartholomew hit three run homers and Parisien added a solo shot. Spaid singled in a run later in the inning. 
-- The offensive fireworks continued in the second inning as Miami scored four more runs to grab a 12-1 advantage. Bartholomew's second homer of the game plated three. Spaid again singled in Cummins.
-- Those two played yet another replay for the game's final run in the fourth inning as Spaid poked a single through the left side to plate Cummins. 

"The bats are always ready," Cummins said of MU's early offense. 

Cummins, a senior who moved to catcher this year and has been a model leadoff hitter, scored four runs in the opener. In addition to going 1-for-1 officially, she walked in three other unofficial appearances. She leads the team in walks (47) and is second in on-base percentage (.516). 

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Hadley Parisien's home run provided the day's final two runs. (MVSmith/MRO)

GAME TWO: MIAMI 9, KENT STATE 1
-- The RedHawks again struck early and often. Kate Kobayashi's two-run home run got it started. Chloe Parks and Bartholomew drove in a run each with singles. Parisien's homer to center field left MU with a 7-0 lead after one inning. 
-- A Miami error opened the door for Kent State's only run as a potential double-play ball left two Flashes on base. One of them scored on a ground out, but Jarvis stranded two other runners while ending the threat. Miami still led 7-1.
-- Parisien provided the game's final two runs with her second homer of the contest in the bottom of the third. 

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NOTES: 
-- Cummins finished the day with a Miami career at-bats record of 700.
"It's good to finish up strong at home," Cummins said of the lopsided Senior Day victories. Still, she had some mixed feelings about playing her last home game. "It's definitely bitter sweet," she said. "You never like that time to come to an end."

Allie Cummins rounds third base on the way to one of her five runs scored on the day. (MVSmith/MRO)

-- SENIOR DAY HONOREES: Holly Blaska, Karli Spaid, Logan Mueller, Addy Jarvis, Kate Kobayashi, Allie Cummins, Ashley Hitchcock, Maddi Banks.
-- Ashley Hitchcock finished up Game One. She did not allow a base runner in her one inning of work. 
-- The RedHawks will be a Toledo Tuesday. The first of two games starts at 1 p.m. ET.
Their final three games are at Northern Illinois, with two Saturday and one Sunday.

2024 Mid-Amrican Conference regular season champions. (MVSmith/MRO)