April 10, 2009
Game One Box
Game Two Box
TOLEDO, Ohio - A pair of shutouts by Jessica Simpson and Meredith Linch, as well as a dominating offensive performance, led the Miami RedHawks to a doubleheader sweep of Toledo Friday afternoon. Miami won game one 5-0 and took game two by a 9-0 score. That game ended after five innings. The RedHawks are now 19-16 overall and 6-4 in the Mid-American Conference. The Rockets are 5-25 and 3-5 in the MAC.
In game one, the RedHawks got on the board in the top of the first. Jordan McElroy led off the inning with a double and was moved to third on a bunt single by Ashley Gartland. She eventually scored on a passed ball.
That would be all the run support Simpson needed as she threw a complete game two-hitter striking out nine. Until a double in the bottom of the seventh inning, she did not let a single ball leave the infield.
Miami was able to get some insurance runs when it scored four in the top of the seventh. Alicia Hogl put down a perfect squeeze bunt to score Sarah Billstrom from third. Meghan Mawn scored on a fielding error by the third baseman and McElroy finished the scoring for the RedHawks when she singled to centerfield, scoring Hogl and Daniela Torres.
McElroy was Miami's top hitter in the first game going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run scored.
The RedHawks scored single runs in the second, third and fourth to take a 3-0 lead in game two. That was highlighted by a long home run by Billstrom in the top of the third that landed in the left field bleachers.
Miami broke the game open with six runs in the top of the fifth. After Torres scored on a fielding error, Hogl singled through the left side to score Billstrom. Lindsay Randall recorded her first RBI of the year with a single that scored Mawn, while Alexis Javier followed with a single to right field that scored Hogl. Lauren Odom finished the inning with a pinch hit single that scored Randall and Kathryn Russette.
Linch kept the Rockets off the board with a two-hit shutout of her own. She struck out three and did not walk a single batter, facing only two batters over the minimum. When she forced Andrea Wabol to ground to shortstop to end the fifth, the game was over due to Miami leading by more than eight runs after five innings.
In game two, Hogl was 2-for-3 with one RBI and two runs scored. Billstrom was 1-for-2 with a walk, one RBI and two runs scored. Randall also scored two runs, finishing 1-for-1 with one RBI, a walk and a sacrifice.
Miami returns to action on Saturday with a single game against Bowling Green at 2 p.m. The RedHawks will face the Falcons again on Sunday at 1 p.m.
