March 1, 2009
Final Stats
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Miami University closed out play at the Louisville Red and Black Sunday with a 4-0 win over Western Illinois. Jessica Simpson pitched a complete game for her third shutout of the season. The RedHawks are now 6-6 on the season, while the Leathernecks are 4-7.
The RedHawks struck first in the bottom of the second inning. Jenna McGivney led off the inning with a double, and was lifted for pinch runner Lindsay Randall. Two batters later, Briana Burke hit a groundball to third base. The fielder overthrew the first baseman and Randall was able to score from second.
In the top of the fourth, Miami got into trouble with runners on second and third and only one out. Simpson forced the next batter into a grounder and was able to catch the lead runner in a rundown. The RedHawks got out of the inning when McGivney was able to throw out the runner trying to steal second base with an assist from Meghan Mawn.
Miami added another run in the bottom of the fourth when the Leathernecks' leftfielder lost a ball in sun, and the resulting error scored Sarah Billstrom from second. In the bottom of the fifth, the RedHawks tacked on two more when Ashley Gartland scored on a wild pitch and Lauren Odom singled to score Jordan McElroy and complete the scoring.
Simpson finished the day giving up only five hits while striking out four. Odom was the top hitter for the RedHawks with a 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Miami returns to action next Sunday when they travel to San Diego for a doubleheader against the Toreros starting at 3 p.m. (EST).
