Softball swept by conference-leading Miami (OH)

UB softball (15-16, 6-7 MAC) was swept this weekend by Mid-American Conference-leader Miami (OH) (24-12, 15-2 MAC).

The Bulls now find themselves in seventh place as they angle for one of the coveted four spots in the conference tournament.

The Bulls kicked off the weekend with a doubleheader loss on Friday afternoon at Nan Harvey Field in Buffalo. The Bulls dropped the first game 3-0 score and the second game 11-7. 

Junior pitcher Alexis Lucyshyn had seven strikeouts and two walks in the first game. The Bulls struck out seven times and only managed two hits. The second game saw a similar result. UB clutched a 2-0 advantage after the first inning courtesy of a home run from sophomore infielder Rachel Steffan. But the Bulls’ bats fell quiet as the RedHawks crushed four home runs and managed 14 hits to take an 11-2 lead heading into the seventh inning.

Senior catcher Olivia Kincanon reached base on an error, before freshman pitcher Marissa Calloway and sophomore infielder Ally Sobaszek’s singles set the stage for junior infielder Brianna Castro to hit a grand slam, but the late rally still wasn’t enough.

The Bulls lost their Saturday afternoon contest 9-0. Lucyshyn was in the circle for five innings and gave up four home runs and eight hits. 

Six UB batters struck out and the team only managed three hits — two of which came off the bat of grad utility infielder Anna Aguon. 

The Bulls are currently engaged in a three-game midweek series against the Akron Zips (13-24, 8-8 MAC).

The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com