Box Score

Game 1 Box Score (PDF)

Game 2 Box Score (PDF)

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Sophomores Michaela Schlattman and Johniann Wahl combined for five home runs to lead Miami University's softball team in the opening day of the Holiday Inn Hilltopper Classic at Western Kentucky University. In the opening game, the RedHawks (4-3) topped Western Illinois, 4-3, before falling in the second matchup, 7-6, to hosting WKU.

Miami 4, Western Illinois 3

The Leathernecks (2-4) opened up with a bang as junior right fielder Rachel Beatty led off with a home run to right-center, giving them an early 1-0 lead. Later in the inning, they placed runners on first and second following an error, but a pop-up stopped any further damage.

In the bottom of the inning, junior right fielder Megan Wurts was hit by the first pitch and later moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Senior designated player Lauren Anderson was also struck, but the RedHawks were unable to put any runs on the board as the next two batters were retired.

WIU struck early in the second with a triple down the right-field line, leading to Beatty knocking in another run on a single, but Miami threw out sophomore left fielder Aly Compton at home. A foul-out on the next batter ended the frame with WIU leading 2-0. Both offenses cooled off in the next inning, except for a Wurts single in the bottom half.

The Miami offense finally came alive in the bottom of the fourth as Wahl homered to left on the first pitch of the frame. Two pitches later, Schlattman smacked her first homer of the season to tie the game at 2 apiece.

In the top of the fifth, senior Kelsey Fredericks replaced sophomore starter Shannon Hohman and quickly retired the first two batters. After allowing two runners to reach, Fredericks induced a ground-out that ended the inning. In the bottom half, Wurts picked up her second hit of the day and advanced to second on a sac bunt, but the RedHawks' offense was unable to bring her home.

Western Illinois surged again in the sixth inning as a pair of singles resulted in runners at second and third. Eventually, the bases became loaded and WIU was able to get a walk that gave them the lead at 3-2.

Once again trailing, the RedHawks rallied in the bottom of the sixth to retake the lead. After Wahl reached on an error, Schlattman homered for the second time in the game to give Miami a 4-3 lead. In the seventh inning, Fredericks sent the Leathernecks down in order to seal her second-consecutive victory.

Schlattman finished 2-for-3 with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs, while Wurts batted 2-for-2 and Wahl went 1-for-3 with a home run.

Western Kentucky 7, Miami 6

As the second game began, the Miami offense picked up where it left off in the opener. With two outs in the first, Schlattman and Wahl went back-to-back for the second time in the day, blasting a pair of shots to center that gave the Red and White an early 2-0 advantage. Starter Hohman sat the Hilltoppers (4-2) down in order to close out a strong first inning.

WKU rebounded in the bottom of the second as junior designated player Jordan Mauch homered to left-center to narrow the margin to 2-1.

Following a leadoff walk to Wurts and a steal of second, freshman second baseman Hannah Obrey singled to left to advance the runner to third. On the next pitch, Schlattman tallied her fifth RBI of the day with a single to right that scored Wurts to make the score 3-1 Miami. Wahl was subsequently walked, loading the bases with no outs in the top of the third. Senior catcher Lauren Anderson capitalized with a single that scored Schlattman and Obrey to extend the lead to 5-1, necessitating a WKU pitching change.

The action remained quiet until the bottom of the fourth when the Hilltoppers got back on the board with a pair of doubles that scored Mauch, bringing the score to 5-2.

The top of the fifth inning began with an Obrey single, but she was thrown out at second on a fielder's choice by Schlattman. On a full count, Wahl doubled to move Schlattman, who scored on an error by the WKU shortstop to make it 6-2.

Fredericks entered the game for Hohman in the bottom of the fifth and promptly hit the first WKU batter, who then stole second once on base. A single led to runners on second and third with no outs, resulting in a run on an error at second. Two batters later, another error allowed for WKU to score again and keep the bases loaded with one out, but Miami would eventually end the inning without further damage.

Junior left fielder Kaitlyn Gliha led off the sixth with a single up the middle, but was thrown out at second on a fielder's choice that left freshman center fielder Haeley Tran at first. Tran was thrown out on a fielder's choice as well, but Wurts made it to second on a wild pitch, yet she was unable to score. Fredericks settled down in the bottom half and retired the Hilltoppers in order.

After Miami went down in order in the top of the seventh, WKU's first two batters went down quickly before Mauch doubled to allow senior catcher Taylor Proctor to tie the game with a home run. The following batter singled, stole second and eventually, a walk left runners on at first and second. In a pinch-hitting role, freshman catcher Tommi Stowers singled to left and brought in the winning run for WKU.

Schlattman finished 2-for-4 with a home run and 2 RBIs with Anderson batting 1-for-2 with 2 RBIs. Fredericks' record dropped to 2-2 with the result.

Tomorrow's Matchups
Miami will face Belmont tomorrow morning at 11 a.m., followed by a TBA opponent in the afternoon. If the RedHawks are seeded first or fourth, they will play at 4 p.m. Otherwise, they will take the field at 6:30 p.m. Check @MiamiOH_SB for scheduling updates.