CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Miami University softball team (9-6) beat Southern Illinois in the first day of the Saluki Invitational by a 7-5 margin on Friday. The RedHawks held off SIU's rally as the 'Hawks held a 6-0 run after the first two innings.

Miami 7, Southern Illinois 5

Courtney Vierstra started the game in the circle for the RedHawks. She pitched five innings and faced one batter in the sixth, allowing four runs but striking out six. Brianna Pratt replaced Vierstra in the circle in the sixth inning and registered her first save as a RedHawk. Pratt struck out three batters and allowed one run on three hits.

Miami put together a monstrous first inning to take a 5-0 lead after one. Haeley Tran and Ashton Slone both singled and Johniann Wahl was walked to load the bases with one out. With that walk, Wahl reached 90 career walks, the most in program history. Jenny Vasquez cleared the bases with a grand slam. Lily Wilmot and Lizzie Bollinger each singled, followed by a walk from Mackenzie Moore to load the bases again, still with only one out. Adriana Barlow hit a sacrifice fly to score Wilmot for the fifth run of the inning.

The RedHawks loaded the bases again in the second inning with singles by Tran and Vasquez and reaching on error was Wahl. SIU changed its pitcher. Bollinger reached base on an error with two outs that allowed Tran to score and increase Miami's lead to 6-0.

Southern Illinois got a couple on base in the bottom of the second but Vierstra struck out back-to-back batters to end the inning. SIU also got a pair of base runners on in the third.

Vasquez hit a two-out double in the top of the fourth but was stranded on base. Vierstra forced SIU to go three up, three down in the bottom of the inning, striking out two more batters to end the inning.

Southern Illinois got onto the scoreboard with three runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut Miami's lead in half. SIU hit two singles and a double to score the three runs, with help from a RedHawks' error in the field.

Wahl hit a solo home run in the top of the sixth but Southern Illinois responds with a lead-off solo home run to bring the game back within three runs and force the pitching change for Miami. Two singles by SIU cut Miami's lead to 7-5 after six innings.

After a lead-off walk in the bottom of the seventh inning, Pratt struck out back-to-back batters. An SIU single put runners on first and second but a ground out ended the game.

Vasquez led the Miami offense with three hits and four RBI's – all on the grand slam. Tran had two hits, scoring twice as did Wahl, one of her runs coming on her home run.

UP AHEAD

The RedHawks continue play at the Saluki Invitational with two games on Saturday. Miami will start the day with University of Illinois – Chicago at 11 a.m. The RedHawks don't play again until 5:45 p.m. when they face Butler.