Miami softball continued its historically dominant season on April 16, sweeping Ball State in a doubleheader. The RedHawks’ 8-3 and 5-4 victories over the Cardinals extended Miami’s win streak to 21 consecutive games, a Mid-American Conference record. 

Sixth-year catcher Allie Cummins came up huge for the RedHawks in both contests, homering twice in game one, and putting another on the board for some insurance in the sixth inning of game two. 

“Today I was seeing the ball a little bit better and I was able to put good swings on it,” Cummins said. “Always happy when that happens.”

Kate Kobayashi went deep in game 1 and Holly Blaska added another homer in game 2 which brings Miami’s team total to 118 home runs on the season, which leads the country by 24. 

“We know that if we struggle one day somebody’s gonna be there to have our back,” Cummins said. “The streak happens because we all have the same goal. It allows us to have a little more fun than other teams who rely on two or three hitters.” 

The pitching was the story for Miami. Madilyn Reeves and Ashley Jarvis both went the distance in each of their starts, allowing a combined five runs and striking out nine batters. “The fact we only scored four in game two  is kind of an anomaly for us,” said Head Coach Kirin Kumar. “But 4 runs with our pitching will get it done.” 

Kumar’s RedHawks have been dominant ever since she arrived on campus in 2021. However, this season the RedHawks are off to a start that tops even her first three seasons, as they’ve sprinted out to a 34-6 record through 40 games and found themselves ranked 24th in the country beginning this week. Kumar says despite all the success, her team’s focus hasn’t wavered. 

“We don’t talk about it,” said Kumar. “We take it one game, one pitch at a time. I don’t even think our players knew, I was the only one and I just found that out which is great.”

The RedHawks will go on the road to Central Michigan for a three-game series with the Chippewas starting on April 18. They’ll finish up their regular season on May 5 against Northern Illinois, and then look to do something no Miami softball team has ever done: Win a regional championship.