OXFORD, Ohio – The Miami University softball team (33-14, 16-4 MAC) beat Akron (13-31-2, 3-18 MAC) in the final game of the season on Saturday by a 7-4 margin to earn the series sweep. The game was also senior day.

Miami 7, Akron 4

Courtney Vierstra pitched another complete game for the RedHawks. She gave up four runs, only two of which were earned, on nine hits and two walks. Vierstra struck out eight.

Miami took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Morgan Lott led off with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Jenny Vasquez. Ashton Slone hit a two-run home run, her sixth home run of the season. Johniann Wahl drew a one-out walk but a double play ended the RedHawks threat.

Lily Wilmot hit a lead-off home run in the second inning before Akron made a pitching change. This is Wilmot's eighth home run of the season, which ties for the 10th-most in a single season in program history.

Vasqeuz hit her ninth home run of the season in the third inning to increase Miami's lead to 4-0. Vasquez is now tied for the fourth-most home runs in a single season in program history.

Akron got onto the scoreboard in the top of the fourth inning. Four singles saw the bases loaded and one run score before back-to-back strikeouts from Vierstra ended the Zips threat with a 4-1 lead for Miami.

A single and a pair of two-out walks loaded the bases for Akron in the fifth. The Zips scored on a wild pitch to cut Miami's lead to 4-2.

The RedHawks scored three times in the bottom of the sixth to increase their lead to 7-2. Haeley Tran reached base on an error and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Akron changed pitchers after Tran's at-bat. Mackenzie Moore singled on a bunt and stole second to put runners on second and third. Hannah Obrey hit an outfield single to score Tran and Moore. Lott and Slone both singled to load the bases. Wahl hit a ball to the outfield to score Obrey before a runner left early call ended the inning.

Akron scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to cap scoring at 7-4. The lead-off batter reached base on error and advanced to second. A single put runners on the corners. The Zips scored two unearned runs and a single.

Vasquez (1-of-3, run, RBI, HR), Slone (2-of-3, run, 2 RBI, HR, BB) and Wilmot (1-of-3, run, RBI, HR) each hit a home run to lead the Miami offense. Lott (3-of-4, run), Moore (2-of-3, run) and Obrey (1-of-3, 2 RBI, run) also had multi-hit or multi-RBI games.

UP AHEAD

Miami travel to Akron, Ohio as the top seed in the MAC Tournament this week. The MAC Tournament starts on Wednesday and concludes on Saturday.