Sports
RedHawks run away with MAC Championship after two game sweep
By: Lindsey Crawford
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AKRON, Ohio (WOUB)- The Ohio Bobcats and the Miami RedHawks are on the home stretch to see who will be the MAC Champion. Saturday, the No. 2 and No. 1 seeds respectively would face off to determine who would win the title.
After yesterday’s disappointing loss for the RedHawks, Miami came out blazing to show Ohio that they meant business. Starting with a bang, Ella Carter’s double to left field would send home both Chloe Parks and Shelby Kunkel to give the RedHawks an early lead. Soon thereafter, Holly Merrit would throw her hat in the ring, sending a ball over the right field fence for a three run homer.
With a six-run deficit in the first inning alone, the Bobcats would struggle to find their groove and confidence. Throughout the rest of the game, Miami would hold steady, leading to the Bobcats demise with a score of 6-0. This would force Ohio into a second game to claim the title of MAC Champion.
After a short break, both teams would be back on the diamond with high spirits. With the RedHawks up to bat first, Chloe Parks would take full advantage of the team’s momentum, flying a ball to left field and batting in Shelby Kunkel.
In the bottom, Ohio would pull out all the stops. Emma Hoffner mustered the strength to bat in Lauren Yuhas, sending Brenna Farmer to second. A few plays later, Farmer would see an opening and steal home, putting the Bobcats up 2-1 to round out the first.
Into the second, Jenna Golembieski would showcase Miami’s deep batting roster, homering to left-center field and batting in Ella Carter. Stealing the lead back at 3-2, the RedHawks would begin to put their foot on the gas.
In the third, Miami would break away indefinitely, adding five more runs to the board and forcing the Bobcats to cycle through their three main pitchers in one inning. From there, Ohio struggled to catch a break and fell short in regards to hitting, making it impossible to catch back up.
The game would come to a close with Miami taking the win at 8-2. With this being the final game the RedHawks needed to steal the title, the MAC Championship Trophy will be heading back to Oxford for the fourth year in a row.
