ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Miami University softball team split its games on opening day at the Rambler Rumble on Friday. Miami fell by a 2-1 margin to Evansville in the first game of the day before beating Loyola-Chicago by a 10-8 margin in the second game.

Miami 1, Evansville 2

Brianna Pratt started in the circle for the RedHawks and despite giving up only two runs, earned the loss. Pratt pitched four innings, giving up two hits while striking out three.

Courtney Vierstra relieved Pratt to begin the fifth inning for the RedHawks, throwing three scoreless innings, allowing no hits while striking out seven.

The game remained scoreless through three innings, though Holly Blaska stole a base in her first collegiate inning of play.

Evansville got onto the board first with two runs in the fourth inning. The Aces drew three walks and had their only two hits of the ballgame, both singles.

The RedHawks were trailing 2-0 in the sixth inning when they scored a single run. Jada Dotson put Miami on the board with a two-out solo home run. Kara Leckinger and Maclai Branson each drew a two-out walk and Allie Cummins singled but the RedHawks left the bases loaded to end the sixth.

Dotson led the way offensively for the RedHawks, going 1-of-2 with a home run and reaching base a second time on a hit-by-pitch. Miami drew six walks from Evansville pitching.

Miami 10, Loyola-Chicago 8

Vierstra started the game in the circle and pitched four full innings before Pratt came into the game as relief.

Miami scored one run in the top of the first. Morgan Lott, Branson and Blaska singled to load the bases with no outs. Dotson hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Lott.

Loyola-Chicago responded with four runs in the bottom of the first to take a 4-1 lead. After a strikeout to start the inning, Loyola-Chicago had four hits, highlighted by a triple that drove in two runs, and drew a walk. Vierstra ended the inning with back-to-back strikeouts.

The score remained 4-1 until Miami tied the game at four runs aside in the top of the third. Lott scored the first run of the inning off the bat of Branson. Dotson hit her second home run of the day, a two-run home run, to tie the game.

Loyola-Chicago responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 6-4 lead. A two-out two-RBI double brought the runs around.

The RedHawks trailed 6-4 until the top of the seventh inning when the Red and White scored six runs on five hits to take a 10-6 lead. Leckinger hit a one-out single and Riley Coyne came into the game to pinch run. Coyne scored on a double from Cummins. Adriana Barlow doubled and Haeley Tran reached base on balls to force Loyola-Chicago to make a pitching change. Mackenzie Moore reached on an error that scored both Barlow and Tran. Lott hit an RBI single to drive Moore home. After a walk by Branson, Blaska hit a double to bring both Lott and Branson around. Loyola-Chicago made another pitching change before the end of the inning.

Loyola-Chicago tacked on two runs in the bottom of the seventh but the RedHawks held on to win 10-8.

UP AHEAD

Miami continues tournament play in Rosemont with two games on Saturday. The RedHawks face Western Illinois at 1:30 p.m. ET and IUPUI at 6:30 p.m. ET.