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MACOMB, Ill. – The Miami University softball team concluded its spring break road trip with a doubleheader split at Western Illinois on Monday. The RedHawks dropped a 5-4, eight inning heartbreaker in the opener, but came back to take the nightcap, 5-1. Miami is now 16-11 on the season, while the Leathernecks are 9-11.
In the nightcap, Miami struck first with two runs in the top of the second inning. Junior first baseman Hailey Reed led off and was hit by the pitch. Freshman second baseman Kaitlyn Gliha reached on a fielder’s choice. A sacrifice bunt by senior third baseman Remy Edwards moved the runners up a base. A single to leftfield by senior shortstop Kylie McChesney brought home Reed and put the RedHawks on the board. Senior outfielder Tiyona Marshall followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Gliha and made it 2-0.
Senior catcher Shanyn McIntyre hit a solo home run over the centerfield wall in the top of the third to give Miami a 3-0 lead.
In the top of the fourth, Marshall singled to leftfield to score Edwards. The ‘Hawks completed their scoring in the top of the fifth when McIntyre hit her second home run of the game, this time over the left field wall.
That proved to be more than enough offense for junior pitcher Amber Logemann. She kept the Leathernecks off the board until a solo home run to lead off the bottom of sixth gave WIU its only run of the contest and made it 5-1. Logemann threw a complete game, allowing only one run on three hits. She struck out four.
McIntyre finished the nightcap 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Marshall was 2-for-3 with two RBI.
The opener started well for Miami as it scored two runs in the top of the first. Marshall led off and reached on an error. Sophomore second baseman Eryn McCarver singled to left. Marshall was able to advance all the way to third, while the throw to third base allowed McCarver to advance to second. A single by junior outfielder Taylor Shuey scored Marshall to make it 1-0. Freshman catcher Rylee Whispel followed with a groundout to second, but McCarver came home on the play to make it 2-0.
Western Illinois got one back off Miami’s starter Edwards in the bottom of the first.
Marshall led off the top of the third with a single to short. She then stole second. A deep fly out by McCarver helped Marshall advance to third. An error by the pitcher allowed Marshall to score, giving Miami a 3-1 lead.
The Leathernecks got two runs off three hits and an error in the bottom of the fourth to tie the score at three. Senior pitcher Megan Mattera came into the game in the fifth and kept WIU off the board for the next three innings, sending the game into extra innings.
Playing the international tiebreaker rule in the eighth, each team started with a runner on second base. For Miami in the top half of the frame it was Marshall. A single to first base by McCarver advanced her to third, while Shuey followed with a single to third base to score Marshall and make it 4-3.
In the bottom of the eighth, Western Illinois used its speedy leadoff hitter to advance the runner to third. She scored on an error to tie the game at four. After a groundout, there were runners on second and third with one out. Miami walked the next hitter to load the bases, but a failed pickoff attempt allowed the runner from third to score to give the Leathernecks a 5-4 win.
Shuey finished the opener 3-for-4 with two RBI. Marshall was 1-for-4 with three runs scored.
The RedHawks begin Mid-American Conference play on Friday when they travel to Central Michigan for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
