April 5, 2003

Box Score

The Miami softball team (11-15, 5-4) dropped two games to the Marshall Thundering Herd (27-10, 8-2), 8-2 and 4-0, on Saturday afternoon at Miami Softball Field while the wind chill factor read below zero degrees.

"I'm disappointed because I feel that we let the weather become a distraction," said head coach Angie Jacobs. "Regardless, we had runners in scoring position and we weren't able to convert in either game."

In the bottom of the first, Miami was the first team to get on the board during the 1 p.m. game. After an out, junior Jessica Zogaib (Temperance, Mich./Bedford) and senior Angie Gerber (La Salle, Mich./Mason) walked and then advanced on a passed ball. Freshman Becca Garcia (Martinez, Calif./College Park) earned the first RBI when she grounded out to third base and scored Zogaib.

Marshall, who owns the most overall wins in the conference, battled back in their next at-bat to tie the game. Allison Webb led off the inning with a walk and then was forced at second by Leigh Wintter. After a wild pitch and a walk, the Miami shortstop threw the ball into centerfield on an attempted force play to score Wintter and tie the score at 1-1.

Marshall blew it open in the fourth when pinch hitter Jennifer Susman doubled with two outs to score Karri Britt and Courtney Kacenga and take a two run lead. After a walk, the Thundering Herd tacked on two more runs on a wild throw to first off a DeShaun Drake bunt. Marshall put together three more hits in the inning to score two more runs and take a 7-1 lead.

In the seventh, Marshall and Miami each added one run to make the final score 8-2.

During the first game, freshman Courtney Salmon (Auburn, Wash./Auburn) only gave up two earned runs and struck out seven, but walked six batters and gave up nine hits.

In the second game, Marshall kept the momentum going by getting two runs in the first inning. Drake, who leads the MAC in RBI, doubled with one out to score the first two batters of the day.

The Thundering Herd added another run in the third and the fourth on a double and a single in both innings.

Sophomore Jackie Poggendorf (Phoenix, Ariz./Shadow Mountain) pitched all seven innings and gave up three earned runs while striking out eight and allowing 10 hits in the second game. Sophomore Chelsie McWhorter (Lindon, Utah/Utah Valley State), who has been battling Mononucleolis, went 3-for-5 on the day.

Miami will look to avoid being swept for the first time this season as they finish their three-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m.

"Marshall is a good team, but we need to come out and play tomorrow because we know we are better than this," said Jacobs.