April 10, 2002
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - For the first time since 1997, the Miami softball team posted five wins in a row, the latest a 2-0 blanking in the first game of a doubleheader with Marshall on Wednesday, April 10 at Hicks Field. The streak was snapped in the second game as Carrie Dean's fifth-inning solo home run proved to be the difference in the Thundering Herd's 3-2 victory.
Miami (12-28, 4-8) opened the scoring in the first game with a first-inning sacrifice fly by senior Nicki Pelfrey (Fremont, Ohio/Fremont Ross) that plated senior Keri Brisnehan (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek).
The count stayed 1-0 until the top of the seventh when sophomore Jamie Carey (Pendleton, Ind./Pendleton Heights) slammed her first career home run, a solo bomb to left, to make it 2-0.
Marshall (14-20, 7-5) made things interesting in the last of the seventh. Vanessa Clarkson led off with a single. The next batter, Sarah Chamberlain, lined a shot back up the box that was snagged by freshman starting pitcher Jackie Poggendorf (Phoenix, Ariz./Shadow Mountain), who doubled off Clarkson at first. Kelli Hall ended it with a line out to first.
Poggendorf was masterful in the circle, limiting the Thundering Herd to five hits in seven innings while recording her fourth shutout and 10th win of the season. The latter figure ties her with Akron's Lisa Keenan for the most in the Mid-American Conference.
At the plate for Miami, Brisnehan was 3-for-3 while junior Angie Gerber (La Salle, Mich./Mason) went 2-for-3.
In the second game, the RedHawks again jumped out to a 1-0 in their first at bat. Sophomore Anna Weinstein (Swanton, Ohio/Swanton) blooped a two-out RBI single down the right field line, scoring Gerber from second.
Marshall knotted the score in the bottom of the inning when, on Sierra Davenport's attempted steal of third, the throw by Miami's catcher whizzed into left field, allowing her to cross the plate.
The Herd went up 2-1 in the second on Chamberlain's third home run of the season.
Some selfless Miami hitting in the fourth made it a 2-2 game. Carey led off with a single, was bunted to second by freshman Sarah Buffie (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian), took third on a passed ball and scored on a sac fly by sophomore Maggie Cousins (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville South).
The RedHawks didn't go quietly in their last at bat. Brisnehan reached on a one-out error and stole second. Starter Randi Nielsen was then relieved by Chamberlain, who struck two of the next three hitters to earn her first save of the season.
Poggendorf again went the whole way, allowing just three hits, but two of those were long balls. Her record stands at 10-15.
Pelfrey drew a fifth-inning walk, the 45th of her career, breaking Monique Abbitt's school mark. Abbitt set the record from 1988-91.
Miami returns to the diamond Saturday, April 13 for a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Bowling Green.
