RedHawks Down EKU 11-3, Spaid Hits Homer No. 96

Wednesday, April 24

Oxford, Ohio

4 p.m.

Miami University

37-7

Eastern Kentucky

36-6

EKU

Miami

RedHawks Down EKU 11-3, Spaid Hits Homer No. 96

4/24/2024 6:24:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

OXFORD, Ohio – On Wednesday night Karli Spaid took second place on the NCAA all-time home run list with 96 after hitting two in a five-inning, 11-3 win over Eastern Kentucky University. The RedHawks move to 37-7 on the season (18-1 Mid-American Conference). EKU drops to 36-6 (17-1 ASUN).

HOW IT HAPPENED:

In the top of the first, the Colonels grabbed a run on a fielder's choice to take a 1-0 lead.
After an 11-pitch at-bat, Allie Cummins drew a walk to load the bases in the bottom of the third. Kate Kobayashi followed that up with a sac fly to score Sami Bewick and tie the game at 1-1.
Right after that, Karli Spaid homered over right field, her 28th of the season and 95th of her career. Cummins and Hadley Parisien also scored to take a 4-1 lead.
Still in the third, Jenna Golembiewski hit an RBI single that scored Holly Blaska and upped the RedHawks' lead to 5-1.
Bewick lined a double to right center in the bottom of the fourth to score Chloe Parks and extend the lead to 6-1.
Still in that inning, Kobayashi was inches away from another homer, and instead had to settle for a 2-RBI double, scoring Bewick and Parisien and pushing the lead to 8-1.
Spaid followed that up with a record-breaking homer that put her at 96 in her career, giving her sole ownership of second place on the NCAA all-time home run list. This also gives her the MAC single-season home run record. Cummins and Kobayashi also scored to make it a 11-1 game.
EKU hit a solo homer and a RBI single in the top of the fifth to cut the deficit to 11-3, but they could not put any more runs up, giving the RedHawks the 11-3 win in five innings.

NOTES:

Spaid now ranks second on the NCAA all-time home run list with 96. This also gives her the MAC single-season home run record, and she broke her own Miami single-season record. She added six RBI in the game and went 2-for-3 at the plate.
Cummins played in her 238th game, tying her for the MAC career record.
Kobayashi brought in three RBI and was inches away from a homer, twice.
Blaska and Kobayashi each had a double.
Madilyn Reeves went the full game in the circle and got the win. She struck out six batters.

UP NEXT: The RedHawks have their last home series of the season in Oxford, Ohio this weekend with game one slated to start at 5 p.m. on April 26 against Kent State University.