April 10, 2005
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio - A trio of Marshall (24-13, 9-2 MAC) homers supplied the first five runs for the visitors to halt Miami's (21-17, 9-4) bid to move past the Thundering Herd in the MAC East softball standings as Marshall took the rubber match of the three-game set, 9-0, in five innings at Miami Softball Field on Sunday afternoon.
Gina Guzzo's second-inning home run snuck just inside the leftfield foul pole at Miami Softball Field to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. It was the first home run hit at the RedHawks' home park this year either by the Red and White or its opponents.
It was another round-tripper that put Miami in a 4-0 hole in the top of the fourth as Samantha Rodriguez, sent in as a pinch hitter, uncorked a three-run home run to straightaway centerfield that chased Miami starter Jackie Poggendorf (Phoenix, Ariz./Shadow Mountain) from the game. The senior lefthander (11-11, 3-2 MAC) allowed seven hits and earned all four runs while walking one and striking out three. The pitching change did not confuse Marshall hitters, however, as the first batter that junior Courtney Salmon (Auburn, Wash./Auburn) faced, Amanda Williams, hit an almost identical home run that gave Marshall a 5-0 lead.
The visitors added its final four runs in the fifth inning with the help of three hits and two Miami errors to invoke the run-rule and give the RedHawks one chance at bat to pick up at least two runs and extend the contest.
Marshall starter Randi Nielson (14-6, 5-1) took a no-hitter into the fifth inning and finished with one hit and three walks in the shutout. In her 1.1 innings, Salmon gave up five runs, two earned, on four hits with no walks and a strikeout. Sophomore Leslie Macedo (Livermore, Calif./Livermore) broke up Nielson's no-hit bid with her leadoff single in the fifth.
Miami welcomes two non-conference opponents to Miami Softball Field in the coming week before resuming MAC action next weekend at Akron. On Tuesday, Wright State comes in for a 3 p.m. doubleheader, and Morehead State faces Miami on Thursday at 3 p.m. for another twinbill.
