April 22, 2011
Final Stats
OXFORD, Ohio - A dramatic bottom of the seventh walk-off home run by junior Daniela Torres led Miami to a split of its doubleheader with Buffalo on Friday afternoon. The RedHawks won the nightcap by a 3-2 score after dropping the opener, 5-3, in eight innings. Miami is now 22-18 overall and 5-7 in the Mid-American Conference. The Bulls are 10-27 overall and 5-5 in the MAC.
There had not been much hitting in the second game until the seventh inning. The only scoring had been a two-run home run in the top of the second off of starter Katie Osburn. Besides that blast, Osburn kept the Bulls in check the rest of the game, giving up only a total of five hits over seven innings to earn her second victory.
Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the seventh, Kathryn Russette led off the frame with a double to right center. Brandi Hernandez came in to pinch-run for her. Jordan McElroy was able to slide a ball under the shortstop's glove and into left field, which brought home Hernandez and made it 2-1. The next two RedHawk batters then popped up, which brought up Torres. Torres slammed an off-speed pitch over the right field wall to give Miami the dramatic 3-2 win.
Torres finished the game 1-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored. Russette was 2-for-3.
Miami struck first in the opener with a run in the bottom of the second inning. Russette led off the frame with a double to left center. Kayla Ledbetter was hit by a pitch and Kristy Arbour was able to bunt to load the bases with no one out. Torres followed by drawing a walk to force home the game's first run.
Buffalo scored three runs in the top of the fourth off of starter Jessica Simpson. Miami answered with two runs of its own in the bottom of the fifth. Allie Larrabee led off with her first career home run, a solo shot over the right center field wall that made it 3-2. Meghan Mawn followed with a single through the right side. She was moved over to second base by a McElroy bunt and brought home by a Russette double to left center.
The game remained tied at three until the top of the eighth inning. The Bulls led off the frame with a Lindsey Hampton triple down the left field line. Holly Luciano would bring her home with a single through the left side. Two RedHawk fielding errors would eventually allow another Buffalo run to come home. In the bottom of the eighth, Torres would lead off with a walk, but Miami would be unable to bring home another run.
Torres finished the second game 1-for-2 with one RBI and three walks. Russette was 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored. Arbour was 3-for-4. Simpson pitched a complete game in the loss, giving up four earned runs on six hits in eight innings pitched. She struck out five.
Miami returns to action when it hosts Kent State on Saturday at 2 p.m.
