Cards Battle, Fall Short at Miami (Ohio)

Tuesday, March 19

Oxford, Ohio

5:00 PM

University of Louisville

19-10

Miami (OH)

19-6

Louisville

Miami

March 19, 2024 | Softball

Box Score

In a game that included five lead changes, Miami used a home run and a walk-off double to prevail 8-7

By: Lori Harmon

OXFORD, Ohio – The University of Louisville softball team battled, but came up short in an 8-7 loss to Miami (Ohio) Tuesday evening. The Cardinals (19-10) will return to Ulmer Stadium for a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series against No. 6/4 Duke this weekend.

The back-and-forth contest featured five lead changes that included the Cardinals scoring a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning to pull ahead, but the RedHawks used a home run, a walk and a two-out double in the home half of the inning to emerge with the 8-7 win.

In the game, the teams combined for 10 extra base hits, including five home runs, two for Louisville and three for Miami, who stands as the national leader in home runs per game.

Louisville jumped on the scoreboard early courtesy of Riley Frizell's two-run homer. Paige Geraghty earned a walk to set up Frizell who smashed a two-out shot over the center field fence for her team-best eighth home run of the season.

Miami (19-6) answered with four runs in the in the home half of the inning starting with two-run shot by Karli Spaid to even the score as the RedHawk third baseman tallied her NCAA-leading 19^th homer of the year. Sami Bewick's two-run single put the RedHawks on top 4-2.

Neither team was able to push a run across through the next three innings with Louisville reliever Sam Booe held the RedHawks at bay, allowing only three base runners while delivering six strikeouts.

The Cards eventually broke through with a run in the fifth. Daisy Hess drew a one-out walk and a wild pitch sent her to second, bringing up Frizell who smacked an RBI ground-rule double to right field to pull Louisville within a run.

The Cardinals kept the offense going in the sixth inning when Ally Alexander doubled and Kiley Goff earned a walk to bring up Maddi Grant who sent a two-run hit to right field giving Louisville a 5-4 lead.

The RedHawks quickly answered with Reagan Bartholomew's leadoff home run in the home half of the sixth. After a single by Hadley Parisien and a walk to Allie Cummins, an error plated another run to put Miami back on top 6-5.

Louisville battled back in the seventh inning when Frizell led off with her third hit of the game and moved to second on a wild pitch. Two outs later, Bailee Richardson drilled a shot over the wall in left center field for her third home run of the season as Louisville regained the lead 7-6.

The offense continued in the home half of the seventh with Kate Kobayashi's leadoff home run to even the score at 7-7. A walk was issued to Bewick and a groundout moved her into scoring position for Parisien who doubled to bring home the game-winning run.

Alyssa Zabala (12-4) took the loss, surrendering two earned runs on two hits and striking out one in 1.2 innings of relief. Frizell paced the Cardinals with three hits and drove in three runs while Alexander went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored.

Addy Jarvis (9-1) picked up the win, allowing two earned runs on two hits in 1.1 innings of relief. Bartholomew and Parisien each had two hits to pace the RedHawks.