Miami Ohio University Athletics
Miami University
UIC
Softball Sweeps on Day Two at UCF Tournament
2/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 19, 2011
ORLANDO, Fla. - The Miami softball team had a successful second day at the UCF Courtyard by Marriott Invitational Saturday, sweeping both games. The RedHawks defeated UIC, 1-0, in a pitching dual in the morning. They followed that up with a 6-5 win over the host UCF Knights in the afternoon. Miami improves to 3-1 on the season.
The story of the UIC game was once again junior pitcher Jessica Simpson. She earned her first shutout of the season, allowing only five hits, while tying a career-high with 14 strikeouts. Only twice were the Flames able to get a player to third base against Simpson, and both times she struck the next batter out to end the inning and the threat.
While UIC was able to keep Miami's bats in check for the most part, giving up only three hits, the RedHawks got the run they needed in the top of the seventh inning. With two outs, Taylor Rice singled through the right side. She advanced to second base on a wild pitch. From there Ashley Zappia replaced her as a pinch runner, and Kayla Ledbetter doubled down the right field line to bring Zappia home.
Ledbetter finished the day 1-for-3 with one RBI.
UCF scored in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead in Miami's second game of the day. In the top of the third, Kathryn Russette walked and was replaced by Brandi Hernandez as a pinch runner. Kirstie Fehrenbach then advanced her to second on a sacrifice bunt. Jordan McElroy brought Hernandez home with a single to centerfield, and then advanced all the way to third base on a throwing error by the third baseman. She would give Miami a 2-1 lead when she scored on a wild pitch. The Knights would regain the lead at 3-2 after scoring two in the bottom of the third and chasing starting pitcher Katie Osburn.
Miami would take control of the game in the top of the fourth inning. Ledbetter continued the torrid start to her RedHawk career with a double down the right field line. Two batters later, Shannon Tillett hit her first home run of the season, a shot over the left field wall, to give Miami a 4-3 lead. Miami loaded the bases with two outs on a Fehrenbach walk, a fielding error that allowed McElroy to reach base and Meghan Mawn getting hit by a pitch. Daniela Torres then brought home two more runs on a single to right field to complete the scoring for the RedHawks.
UCF would score a run in the bottom of the fourth off of reliever Paige Myers to make it 6-4. In the bottom of the sixth, Jessica Simpson came in after the Knights got their first two runners on base with no outs. A sacrifice fly would score UCF's fifth run of the contest, but Simpson would strikeout the next two batters to end the threat. In the bottom of the seventh, Simpson sent the Knights down in order to earn her first save of the season.
Ledbetter finished the game 3-for-4 with one run scored. Torres was 1-for-4 with two RBI, while McElroy was 1-for-4 with one RBI and two runs scored. Myers pitched 2.1 innings, giving up two runs and two hits to earn her first career victory.
To determine Miami's opponent on Sunday, tournament officials seeded the four teams based on their records the past two days (UCF is not participating on Sunday). With only one defeat, the RedHawks are seeded second and will play in the championship game of the UCF Courtyard by Marriott Invitational against top seed Notre Dame at 11:00 a.m. The Fighting Irish handed Miami its only defeat of the tournament, a 3-2 loss on Friday after Notre Dame scored two runs in the seventh inning to come from behind.
