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OXFORD, Ohio – The Miami University softball team dropped a back-and-forth contest to Ball State on Senior Day Sunday, 7-6. The RedHawks finish the regular season at 31-22 overall and 13-7 in the Mid-American Conference. The Cardinals are 29-23 overall and 14-5 in the MAC.
Miami will now be the third seed in next week’s MAC Tournament. The RedHawks will begin play on Wednesday at 6 p.m. against sixth seed Northern Illinois. The entire double-elimination tournament will take place at Firestone Stadium in Akron. Check back with MURedHawks.com later Sunday for a full tournament release.
The RedHawks struck first with two runs in the bottom of the first. With two outs and sophomore second baseman Eryn McCarver on third, senior first baseman Shanyn McIntyre drew a walk. Junior outfielder Taylor Shuey hit a single to right center to score McCarver. Senior designated player Megan Mattera followed with a single to centerfield to bring home Shuey and make it 2-0.
Sophomore pitcher Kelsey Fredericks shut down the high-powered Ball State offense for the first two innings. The Cardinals finally got on the board in the top of the third with a solo home run off relief pitcher, senior Remy Edwards.
Miami answered with two more runs in the bottom of the third. McCarver led off and was hit by a pitch. McIntyre sacrifice bunted her over to second. Shuey drew a walk. After Mattera flew out to centerfield, the outfielder threw the ball away getting ball back to the infield, allowing McCarver to advance to third. Senior outfielder Bree Lipscomb then hit a single down the leftfield line, scoring McCarver and Shuey and putting the RedHawks in front, 4-1.
The ‘Hawks defense and pitching staff had been in control of the MAC’s top hitting team for the majority of the weekend. However in the top of the fifth, the Cardinals finally broke through for five runs on three hits and an error. The big blow came off the bat of Amanda Arnett, who put one over the left centerfield wall for a grand slam that gave Ball State a 6-4 advantage.
The RedHawks did not give up as they answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Lipscomb led off and doubled to left center. Freshman catcher Rylee Whispel drew a walk and was replaced by pinch-runner Tanya Busby. A sacrifice bunt by senior shortstop Kylie McChesney moved the runners over. Senior outfielder Tiyona Marshall reached on a fielding error, allowing Lipscomb to score and drawing Miami to within one. Edwards followed with a single to right field. Busby scored on the play, but Marshall was tagged out in a close play at the plate. Nonetheless the game went into the final inning tied at six.
In the top of the seventh, Ball State used a fielding error and a double to score the go-ahead run off of Fredericks and take a 7-6 lead. Shuey would single in the bottom of the seventh for the RedHawks, but they were unable to bring her home as the Cardinals took the win.
Lipscomb finished the game 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run scored. Edwards was 2-for-4 with one RBI, while Shuey was 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored. Fredericks took the tough-luck loss, she allowed only one unearned run and four hits in 4.0 innings pitched.
