Miami Softball wins one, drops four at DeMarini Invitational

The RedHawks couldn’t get things going this past weekend in Palo Alto, California, winning its first game but losing the next four. After a win over the California Golden Bears (Cal), the RedHawks lost against Villanvova, in a rematch against Cal and twice against Stanford.

FRIDAY

Miami’s first matchup featured a familiar opponent: the Cal Golden Bears. The RedHawks took the season series against Cal last season in Oxford; this season, the Golden Bears entered the matchup 14-3 on the season.

For the majority of this game, it was all Miami. Sophomore infielder Maggie Murphy’s RBI double put the RedHawks on the board in the first inning. After a scoreless second inning, junior infielder Karli Spaid hit an RBI double of her own to make it 2-0 in the third. A bases loaded walk brought in Spaid to make it 3-0.

A stalemate ensued, as both teams couldn’t get their offenses going. Miami finally broke through in the sixth inning on an RBI single by sophomore infielder Chloe Parks, making it 4-0. The Golden Bears would get on the board with a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth, but that would be all as the RedHawks escaped with a 4-2 win.

A matchup with the Villanova Wildcats was up next. The Wildcats entered the matchup 7-9 on the season but quickly took the momentum in this one.

A fielder's choice and RBI single made it 2-0 Wildcats in the first inning, and 3 RBIs in the second made it 5-0 in a blink. The RedHawks couldn’t get any of its offense going in this one, and Villanova continued to add runs.

By the end of the fourth inning, 2 RBI’s and a two-run homer made it 10-0 Wildcats. The RedHawks were able to add a run on an RBI single by freshman infielder Reagan Bartholomew, but ultimately came short 10-1.

SATURDAY

The RedHawks had only one game scheduled on Saturday: a rematch with Cal. After a scoreless first two innings, this matchup heated up quickly.

An RBI single in the third inning by Parks made it 1-0 RedHawks, but the Golden Bears responded with a 2 RBI double to make it 1-2. A bases loaded walk in the fourth inning tied things up, before Spaid launched a grand slam to center field, making it 6-2 Miami.

The Golden Bears wouldn’t exit the fourth inning quietly, however. By the end of the inning, Cal had launched two homers and two RBI doubles to retake the lead 6-7. A homer by Murphy in the fifth inning would tie the game.

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The sixth inning saw more success for Miami. Yet another Murphy homer, this time a three-run bomb, gave the RedHawks a 10-7 lead. A sacrifice fly would make it 11-7 Miami.

The Golden Bears, like they had all game, responded. Two runs in the sixth inning and two in the seventh inning tied the game once again. Miami’s offense cooled off for the first time all game, and Cal walked it off on an RBI single to secure a 12-11 win in extra innings.

Despite the loss, Karli Spaid ended up making history during the game, becoming the all-time career leader in RBIs for the RedHawks, just 13 games into her junior season.

SUNDAY

A doubleheader against red-hot Stanford ended the weekend for Miami. The Cardinal entered the doubleheader 18-2 on the season and ranked No. 14 in the country.

Stanford lived up to its ranking and then some in the doubleheader. The RedHawks offense was shut down by Stanford’s pitching, managing only six hits through both games. Stanford’s offense managed to rack up 12 hits in the first game and six in the second, hitting 16 RBIs as well.

The RedHawks fell 0-10 in the first game and 0-8 in the second.

Miami softball continues its season at home on Wednesday, March 8, at 5 p.m. against Butler University.

@wes_payne19

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