ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Miami University softball team won both of its games on Saturday at the Rambler Rumble. The RedHawks beat Western Michigan by a 2-1 margin in 10 innings before winning against IUPUI by a 7-3 margin in the night game.
Miami 2, WIU 1 (10 inn.)
Courtney Vierstra pitched the complete game, striking out 15 batters and giving up only one run on four hits and three walks. Vierstra now ranks sixth in program history with 456 career strikeouts.
The RedHawks had hits in the second, third and fourth innings, but the game remained scoreless to start the fifth. Mackenzie Moore led off with a single and was brought around on a double off the bat of Maclai Branson to put Miami on the board first.
The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the seventh inning when Western Illinois tied the game to force extra innings. A lead-off walk and a stolen base allowed the game-tying run to score on a long single.
Beginning in the ninth inning, the international tie breaker rule placed a runner on second base to start the inning.
In the 10th inning, Haeley Tran was placed on second to begin the inning. After stealing third, Tran scored the game-winning run on an infield single from Morgan Lott. Vierstra and the Miami defense forced WIU three up-three down in the bottom of the 10th to seal the victory.
Lott led Miami's offense, going 2-for-5 with an RBI while Moore finished 3-of-4 with a run.
Miami 7, IUPUI 3
Taylor Rathe pitched 2.1 innings to start the game for the RedHawks but it was Brianna Pratt who got the win in the circle. Pratt went 4.2 innings, giving up only one earned run while striking out four.
The RedHawks got on the scoreboard first with a single run in the second inning. Hannah Obrey hit a one-out solo home run.
IUPUI responded with a run in the top of the third inning to tie the game. A hit-by-pitch, walk and single loaded the bases as Pratt came into the game as relief. A ground ball allowed the game-tying run to cross the plate but Pratt ended the inning with a strikeout, and IUPUI left the bases loaded.
The RedHawks responded in the bottom of the third as Lott had the RBI single to give Miami the 2-1 lead but the Jaguars would tie the game at two in the top of the fourth.
Miami scored three in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 5-2 lead. Moore hit the lead-off single but was out on the play that saw Branson safe at first. Lott singled to advance Branson to second and Julia Kennedy brought Branson around with an RBI single. Allie Cummins hit a two-out two-RBI ground-rule double for the final runs of the inning.
IUPUI closed the gap to 5-3 in the top of the sixth with a single, a walk and a fielding error to score the Jaguars' final run of the game.
Miami added two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning that would cap scoring at 7-3. With two outs, Riley Coyne doubled and Moore reached on a fielder's choice. Branson doubled to score both Coyne and Moore.
Lott had her second multi-hit game of the day, going 2-of-4 with a run and an RBI. Obrey hit the home run while Branson and Cummins each brought in two runs.
UP AHEAD
Miami wraps up opening weekend with a single game against Omaha on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET.
