Miami Offense Shines on the Road
Miami 9, Ohio 0
Miami 6, Ohio 1
Western Michigan 2, Toledo 0
Central Michigan 10, Ball State 8
Bowling Green 3, Akron 2
Akron 5, Bowling Green 1
Stories Courtesy of MAC Sports Information
Miami vs. Ohio
Box Score
?Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio – The Miami University softball team (28-14, 13-4 MAC) won both games at Ohio (28-19, 9-8 MAC) in Saturday's doubleheader. Miami shutout Ohio in the first game by a 9-0 margin before winning game two by a 6-1 margin.
Courtney Vierstra started the game in the circle for the RedHawks. She pitched the complete-game shutout, giving up six hits and three walks while striking out five batters over seven innings. Vierstra's five strikeouts brings her career total to 354 to tie for the eighth-most in program history. She has 193 strikeouts this season, which ranks seventh in a single season in program history.
Miami got the lead-off batter on base each of the first two innings and was able to break through in the second. Jenny Vasquez was hit by a pitch to begin the second inning before scoring on Lily Wilmot's fifth home run of the season that gave the RedHawks an early 2-0 lead.
Miami had just one hit until the sixth inning when it increased its lead to 5-0 with three runs on four hits. Morgan Lott led off with a double and advanced to third on a fly out from Ashton Slone. Lott scored on an RBI single by Johniann Wahl. Adriana Barlow pinch ran for Wahl. Vasquez drew a walk and Kara Leckinger was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. A pitching change was made for the Bobcats after the walk to Vasquez. Wilmot and Jada Dotson each hit one-out RBI singles to keep the bases loaded.
The RedHawks scored four more runs in the top of the seventh to make it a 9-0 ball game. Lott, Wahl and Vasquez loaded the bases with one out as each hit a single. Leckinger brought Lott home for the first run of the inning. Wilmot hit her second home run of the game to score the RedHawks' final three runs.
Wilmot led the Miami offense, going 3-of-4 with two home runs and six RBI. This is the first time this season an individual has hit more than one home run in a game for the RedHawks offense. Lott (2-of-4, two runs, double) and Wahl (2-of-4, RBI) each had multi-hit games while Vasquez (1-of-1, three runs, two walks) reached base each trip to the plate. Wahl's two hits brings her career total to 169, which ties the 10th most in program history.
Western Michigan vs. Toledo
?Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio - After dropping a pair in the series opening doubleheader on Friday, the Western Michigan softball team bounced back with a 2-0 win on Saturday at the University of Toledo.
Jordan Kurth pitcher her first complete game shutout of the season, yielding just two hits to the Rockets while holding them hitless through the first five innings. Kurth also notched five strikeouts while her record improves to 4-6 on the season.
Sophia Ehlers and Brooke Wyman picked up the sole runs batted in for the Brown & Gold.
WMU tallied the eventual game-winning run in the fourth inning. Logan Carter singled to center and advanced to second off a Skyler Sobeski sacrifice bunt. She then came around to score off the RBI from Ehlers, a base hit over the Rocket third baseman into left field.
Wyman added an insurance run in the seventh with a solo homer over the left field fence, her third of the season.
Carter, Ehlers, and Wyman led the Broncos at the plate with two hits each.
Central Michigan vs. Ball State
Box Score
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – A special group of seniors left a lasting memory on Saturday at Margo Jonker Stadium.
All seven seniors were in the starting lineup and all seven contributed – everybody in the lineup contributed -- as the Chippewas pounded out 13 hits and took advantage of several Ball State miscues as CMU downed the Cardinals, 10-8, in the finale of a three-game Mid-American Conference series.
The Chippewas, who split a doubleheader with the Cardinals on Friday, won the series and are 20-24-1, 10-7-1 MAC heading into their final league series of the season next weekend at Toledo.
"It's great to walk out with a win, especially for our senior class," CMU coach Margo Jonker said. "I'm so excited for them."
Bowling Green vs. Akron
?Box Score
?Box Score
AKRON, Ohio – Down the final stretch of the 2019 regular season, the Akron softball team picked up another W in the win column after the Zips split a doubleheader with Bowling Green on Saturday afternoon at Meserve Field.
After Akron fell to Bowling Green in a nailbitter, 3-2, in the opening ballgame, the Zips bounced back and picked up a 5-1 victory in the nightcap.
The Zips scored five runs on nine hits en route to its win over Bowling Green. Senior Laura Lakins(Akron, Ohio) went 3-for-3 with an RBI and run scored to pace Akron's offensive efforts. Junior Jessie Holzman (Medina, Ohio) and senior Maddy Clowdus (Eastvale, Calif.) each notched a multi-hit performance going a combined 4-for-6 including two RBI by Clowdus and a run scored by Holzman.
Inside the circle, sophomore Mikayla Newland (Chillicothe, Ohio) pitched her second consecutive complete game. In seven innings of work, Newland allowed just three hits and one run while striking out five and walking seven.
Bowling Green scored the first run of the game two in the first inning before the game was dominated by the Zips.
UA scored three runs in the third and two runs in the fourth to help reap the taste of victory.
With one out in the third, Akron had runners at the corners. The Zips, who are known for their aggressive base running, showed why they are the top base stealing team in the MAC and executed a double steal which included junior Madison Carter (Newnan, Ga.) stealing home.
Then with two outs in the same inning and now the bases loaded, Clowdus smacked a two-RBI single to left field resulting in a 3-1 lead in favor of Akron.
In the ensuing inning, an RBI double off the bat of Lakins and a throwing error on the Falcons catcher added a pair of insurance runs for the Zips.
From that point on, Newland shut the door on Bowling Green to secure the victory.
Game one was a marathon between the Akron and Bowling Green as the contest went into extras before ending in the bottom of the 10thinning on a walk-off fielder's choice to score the game-winning run.
At the end of seven innings, the Zips and Falcons were all tied up at 2 apiece to head into extra innings.
UA scored the first run of the contest in the top of the first inning to quickly take a 1-0 lead. The Zips had runners on first and second with one out before Holzman lined a sacrifice fly to left field that scored sophomore Kayla Wulf (Maumee, Ohio).
The Falcons answered the Zips offense in their first at-bats with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning to claim a 2-1 advantage.
Combined, UA and BGSU recorded just one hit in the next three innings as junior Adrian Smith (St. Clairsville, Ohio) and Meredith Miller of BG went toe-to-toe inside the circle.
Redshirt senior Kimberly Rodriguez (Las Vegas, Nev.) knotted the game up at two in the top of the fifth with one swing of the bat down the left field line.
The two pitchers again dialed in from innings six through nine allowing just four hits and no runs.
In the top of the 10thinning, Akron notched its sixth hit of the contest with a single to left field by junior Samantha Malik (Orlando, Fla.) but she was left stranded on first.
Bowling Green quickly loaded the bases in the bottom half of the 10thinning before a play at the plate with the bases loaded handed the Falcons the win.
