MIAMI SOFTBALL

RedHawks finish regular season with DH split

Shortstop Adriana Barlow makes a play. (MVSmith/file)

STAFF REPORT
KENT, OH -- The Miami RedHawks split a pair with Kent State Saturday, taking the opener 4-1 before dropping the second game in a 10-8 slugfest.

It was the final day of regular season action for MU, with the results leaving Miami at 21-7 in conference play (34-18 overall) . Kent State moved to 13-14 MAC (20-29 overall)

Elsewhere, Ohio also split a pair in its series with Buffalo. Each team won by a 5-3 count. The Bobcats, now 20-7 MAC, have one more chance to tie MU. They meet Ohio Sunday in Athens. However, Miami won . . .

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. . . two of three games when the RedHawks and Bobcats met back in mid-March. 

Four teams advance to next week's MAC tournament. Saturday's action should put Miami, Ohio, Central Michigan and Ball State in the tourney. 

GAME 1 RECAP -- MIAMI 4, KENT STATE 1
After hitting four homers in a Friday win over KSU, the RedHawks were limited to six hits and no long balls against Anilese Kelly (5-13) in Friday's opener. However, MU was able to take advantage of Flashes miscues for two unearned runs on top of two earned runs.

Holly Blaska and Karli Spaid paced MU's offense with two hits each. Riley Coyne had two RBIs. Brianna Pritt struck out five while allowing seven hits, one walk and just one earned run over seven innings to pick up her 27th victory against 10 losses. 

Miami took an early lead as Allie Cummins opened  the first with a walk. Blaska followed with a double. Kent State nearly escaped unscathed, getting two quick outs before hitting Jenna Golembiewski with a pitch. Cummins came home on a pass ball before Chloe Parks grounded out to end the frame.

Kent State tied things in the fifth. Shortstop Julia Mazanek opened with a double to right center. Two batters later, Jade Ramer brought her home with a single up the middle. 

It was still deadlocked heading into the seventh, but KSU opened the door with a throwing error on Maddi Banks' bunt. After a strikeout, Blaska singled to right and Spaid followed with a double to score Banks. Coyne added two more on a single to center to give MU a 4-1 lead.

Kent State threatened in the bottom half, stroking two singles and drawing a walk, but Pratt worked her way out of the jam. Like Miami, the Flashes stranded eight runners over seven innings.

GAME 2 RECAP --  KENT STATE 10, MIAMI 8
Miami outhit the Flashes 13-10, but came up two runs short. Junior Taylor Turner (3-4) took the loss, giving up six runs (5 earned) in 3.1 innings, while sophomore Laurelai Depew allowed four runs (1 earned) in 2.2 innings. 
Macy Ireland registered the win for KSU, evening her record at 12-12. She allowed five runs (4 earned) on eight hits, striking out five in five innings.

Unlike in the opening game, MU managed two homers. The first came from Spaid on a blast to center as the RedHawks took a quick lead in the first inning. Kent State, however, got that back with an unearned run in the bottom half.

Miami, which scored single runs in each of the first five innings, went up 2-1 on a Parks double and Kate Kobayashi  single in the second. Kent State's big inning on the day came in the bottom of the second, when it plated three runs on three hits and a walk. 

The RedHawks pulled within one when Spaid doubled in Blaska in the third inning and briefly  tied the contest at 4-all with an unearned run in the top of the fourth. Kobayashi reached on an error, went to second on a sacrifice bunt and came home on a single by Banks.

Kent State responded with a decisive rally. Two walks got it started. A single and MU error brought those two home. Three more singles and a wild pitch helped KSU add four more run and the hosts led 10-4.

Reagan Bartholomew doubled and Parks tripled to get one back for Miami in the fifth. The RedHawks then put together a three-run rally in the seventh frame. Spaid and Bartholomew opened with singles before Golembiewski homered. Shelby Kunkel's two-out single brought the tying run to the plate, but KSU shut the door with a strikeout for the final out.