April 21, 2004
Box Score: Miami 6, Wright State 4
Box Score: Miami 2, Wright State 2 (6 inn.)
OXFORD, Ohio - Miami University's softball team returned to .500 with a 6-4 win over Wright State in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday afternoon at Miami Softball Field. Game two finished in a 2-2 tie after six innings due to darkness. Rain forced a delay prior to the beginning of play, as game one started at 4:55 p.m., despite a 3 p.m. start time. The RedHawks moved to 19-19-1 on the season, while Wright State fell to 12-29-1.
"Our record doesn't matter as much to us," said head coach Angie Jacobs on reaching .500. "We need to come out and play each game better than the game before. We don't look drastically different than over spring break, but we're doing the little things right and have confidence."
The RedHawks showed no sign of rust from the delay, as they jumped on the visiting Raiders in game one. Miami scored the lead-off batter in each of the first four innings and built a 3-0 lead through two frames.
Senior Jamie Carey (Pendleton, Ind./Pendlton Heights) led off the first inning with a walk and stole second. Two batters later, sophomore Bianca Paz (Mesilla, N.M./Las Cruces) walked and the runners moved to second and third on a double steal. Sophomore Kristen Hays (Phoenix, Ariz./Shadow Mountain) doubled to the gap in left center, scoring both runners. The Red and White added an unearned run in the second when junior Keri McCready (Phoenix, Ariz./North Canyon) scored from second on a two-out error.
"I thought we played hard today," said Jacobs. "It's always a mental struggle after a two and a half hour rain delay. I'm impressed with how we came out of the delay swinging the bats."
Wright State got on the board in the next inning, loading the bases with one out on two RedHawk errors and a hit batter. Kati Murnane followed with a single to left scoring one run and Stephanie Salas made it 3-2 with a ground out to third. The Raiders tied the score on a passed ball.
MU made it 5-3 with single runs in the third and fourth innings. Hays was hit by a pitch to lead of the third, moving to third on a sacrifice bunt and wild pitch. Senior Jacque Molinaro (Follansbee, W.Va./Brooke) singled to center to score Hays. In the fourth, it was junior Chelsie McWhorter (Lindon, Utah/Mountain View) who reached to lead off the inning, this time on a double to the wall in left center. After a wild pitch, she scored on Paz's team-leading 10th double of the season.
In the fifth, WSU pulled within one, at 5-4. Amanda Rutherford led off the inning with a single and, after a fielder's choice, scored on Salas' single to center.
Trailing 1-0 in the night cap, the RedHawks struck for two runs in the fourth inning. After Carey reached on an error, junior Jackie Poggendorf (Phoenix, Ariz./Shadow Mountain), sophomore Becca Garcia (Martinez, Calif./College Park) and Hays connected for three straight singles, scoring Carey and leaving the bases loaded. Junior Sarah Buffie (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian) scored Poggendorf with a sac fly to center.
"It doesn't surprise me (that she's driven in that many runs),"said Jacobs on Hays, who has 16 RBIs in her last 14 games. "That is why we have her (batting clean up). She sees the ball well and has quick hands. When she's batting we know she will make good contact."
The Raiders struck first with a pair of doubles in the second inning. Salas led off with a double and two batters later Kristen Farley hit a ground-rule double to give WSU the 1-0 lead. Wright State later tied the score with a single run on four singles in the sixth. Freshman Heather Freudenberger (Louisville, Ky./duPont Manual) worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam, inducing a ground ball to McWhorter at third, who started a 5-2-6 double play.
Sophomore Courtney Salmon (Auburn, Wa./Auburn) went the distance for Miami, scattering seven hits and allowing just one earned run. She struck out seven batters, compared to one walk, to even her season record at 7-7 in game one. Freudenberger finished game two with a career-high seven strikeouts in six innings of work. She did not walk a batter in earning the no decision.
"Both of our pitchers pitched well today," Jacobs said. "I hope they both use today as a stepping stone to get back into the flow of their game. There is a lot of season left and both of them can play a huge role in this team's success."
The tie is just the fourth in team history, and first since Miami tied Butler, 2-2, after 12 innings on March 22, 1997. All four ties have come at Miami Softball Field, while of three have finished 2-2.
Miami returns to league play with a three-game series at Ohio, April 24-25, in Athens, Ohio. The RedHawks and Bobcats play two games on Saturday and a single game on Sunday. Action gets underway on both days at 1 p.m.
