MIAMI SOFTBALL

MIAMI NOTEBOOK - Sunday, 2-9-25

Softball battles way through tough start

By MIKE SMITH
Miami softball scheduled a daunting non-conference 2025 slate, and the RedHawks got their first taste of that menu during opening weekend action at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe Arizona.  Overall, fourteen Power 4 teams are on the MU schedule, with seven 2024 NCAA tournament participants among the bunch. 

New head coach Mandy Gardner-Colegate's squad finished the opening weekend with just one win among five decisions but proved a tough challenge. Two of the four . . . 

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. . . losses were in extra innings, Another setback was by two runs. 

Here is a quick overview:

Friday, Feb. 7 Game 1  -- Maryland 6, Miami 4
The RedHawks took an early 1-0 lead and were up 4-3 after six inning. Maryland, however, rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh to post a 5-4 win. 
Sophomore Madilyn Reeves tossed 6.1 innings for MU, surrendering five hits and five runs while walking seven and striking out one. Sophomore catcher McKenna Campbell recorded two rbi's. Four RedHawks recorded a hit. 

Friday, Feb. 7 Game 2   -- Arizona State 15, Miami 7
MU scored five runs in the second inning and added single tallies in the fourth and fifth for a 7-5 lead. However, the Wildcats exploded for 10 runs in their half of the fifth for a 15-7 win. 
Junior Le'a Chevrier surrendered 11 hits and eight earned runs while walking five and striking out three in 4.2 innings. Freshman Shelbie Krieger gave up a hit and walked two while allowing one earned run. 
Miami recorded four errors in the contest. 
Chloe Parks had two hits for MU. Holly Merritt and Kari Krueger homered in the RedHawks seven-hit attack. 

Saturday, Feb. 8 Game 1   -- Minnesota 4, Miami 3 (8 inn)
MU scored a single run in the fifth and two more in the fifth frame for a 3-2 lead. However, Minnesota pushed across a tying run in the bottom of the inning. The winning run came on a one-out Gopher single in the eighth. 
Lea Chevrier went the distance for Miami, allowing seven hits and two earned runs while walking four and striking out two. 
Miami's offense totaled seven hits. Jenna Golembiewski and Holly Merritt recorded two hits apiece, with the former homering in the fifth. 
Minnesota struck out nine RedHawks. 

Saturday, Feb. 8 Game 2   Miami 12, Arizona State 4
Holding a 4-3 lead after three innings, Miami exploded for six runs in the fourth inning as the RedHawks posted a 12-4 win. Shelby Kunkel's three-run homer started the big inning. She added a seventh inning shot and second inning single as she totaled six rbi's on the day. Chloe Parks and Kaylee Oh also had multiple hit (2 apiece) games. 
Madilyn Reeves scattered nine hits, allowing four earned runs with five strikeouts and one walk in seven innings of work. 

Sunday, Feb. 9   Utah 7, Miami 6 (9 innings)
Leading 5-3 with three outs to go, MU was unable to close out a get-away win. Utah pushed across two runs in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings. Both teams scored single runs in the eighth and Utah added another in the ninth. Miami could not match that score. 
Madilyn Reeves went all nine innings for the RedHawks, surrendering 10 hits and three earned runs. She struck out three and did not allow a walk while throwing 132 pitches. 
Miami's offense totaled seven hits. Chloe Parks contributed two hits with two rbi's. Holly Merritt also had two hits and drove in a run.