April 15, 2011
Final Stats
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. - Facing cold temperatures and 30-mph winds, the Miami softball team dropped a doubleheader to Central Michigan Friday in Mt. Pleasant. The RedHawks fell in the opener, 5-3, and then lost 8-5 in the nightcap. Miami is now 17-17 overall and 2-6 in the Mid-American Conference. The Chippewas improve to 22-13 overall and 7-3 in the MAC.
The RedHawks struck first in game one with a run in the top of the first. With one out, Jordan McElroy and Meghan Mawn recorded back-to-back singles. Allie Larrabee then reached on an error by the second baseman. With the bases loaded, Jenna McGivney drew a walk to force in a run.
An error in the bottom of the second led to three runs for CMU and a 3-1 lead after two innings. Miami was able to retie the game in the top of third with two more runs. With two outs, McGivney and Kayla Ledbetter drew back-to-back walks. A single by Jessica Simpson loaded the bases. Kristy Arbour then hit a line shot over the second baseman's glove that went into right field and scored McGivney and Ledbetter.
The Chippewas retook the lead with at 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth with a walk, a sacrifice bunt and a single. Miami had a chance to answer in the top of the sixth when Kirstie Fehrenbach and Daniela Torres got to second and third with two outs, but CMU's pitcher was able to get the groundout to end the threat. The Chippewas scored an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to secure the 5-3 win.
Arbour finished the game 1-for-3 with two RBI. McElroy was 1-for-4 with one run scored. Simpson pitched a complete game, allowing two earned runs on seven hits. She struck out eight.
Miami once again got on the board first in the nightcap. In the top of the second inning, Kathryn Russette doubled to left field. Casey Drees sacrifice bunted her over to third base, and a single by Kirstie Fehrenbach scored her.
Errors cost the RedHawks in the next couple of innings. A throwing error helped the Chippewas take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning. With two runners on and two outs in the bottom of the third a single by CMU to left field would have loaded the bases, however the ball took a bad hop over Fehrenbach's glove and went all the way to the wall to allow all three runs to score and make it 5-1.
Miami got one back in the fourth when Russette hit a sacrifice fly that scored McGivney, but the Chippewas broke it open with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to make it 8-2.
The RedHawks did make things interesting in the top of the seventh. A single by Russette, a walk by Drees and a single by Fehrenbach loaded the bases with no one out. Torres brought home pinch runner Brandi Hernandez with a sacrifice fly to make it 8-3. McElroy followed with a double to center field that brought home Fehrenbach and pinch runner Katie Osburn. However that would be as close as they would get as CMU got the final two outs to secure the 8-5 win.
Fehrenbach finished the nightcap 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored. McGivney was 2-for-3 with one run scored.
Miami will look to get back on the winning track when it travels to Eastern Michigan this weekend. The RedHawks are scheduled for single games against the Eagles on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
