OXFORD, Ohio—Senior Courtney Vierstra pitched a perfect 5.0 innings giving up no hits, no walks and no runs while striking out seven batters to propel the Miami University softball team to a 9-0 five-inning win against Central Michigan University on Friday afternoon at Miami Softball Complex.
 
After two scoreless innings, Miami erupted for nine runs off eight hits over the third and fourth innings to notch its seventh-straight win. The RedHawks move to 13-6 on the season and 5-0 in Mid-American Conference action. The Chippewas drop to 4-10 and 2-3 in MAC play.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Junior Adriana Barlow got Miami on the board in the bottom of the third inning, blasting a three-run home run over the left field fence to plate freshman Karli Spaid and freshman Karlee Juarez, who both singled to lead off the inning.
• With bases loaded in the top of the fourth inning, Spaid hit a two-run single to right field that scored freshman Holly Blaska and pinch runner senior Morgan Lott to lift Miami to a 5-0 lead. Barlow belted another two-run single to right field with bases loaded that plated Spaid and Juarez to extend the MU lead to 7-0. Sophomore Kate Kobayashi tripled down the left field line to score Barlow and junior Allie Cummins and push the RedHawk advantage to 9-0 after four innings.
• The Central Michigan batters went down in order in the top of the fifth to ice the game for the RedHawks.

 
NOTES:

• Three RedHawks had multi-hit games. Juarez was 2-for-2 from the plate with two runs. Spaid went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI, while Barlow was 2-for-3 with two runs and five RBI.
• Vierstra moved to 8-2 in the circle on the season and picked up her fourth shutout.
• It was Miami's sixth shutout of the season, and the fifth time in their last six games that the RedHawks have won in fewer than seven innings.  

 
UP NEXT:
Miami and Central Michigan continue the weekend series with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 27. First pitch in the opening game is scheduled for 1 p.m.