May 6, 2011
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OXFORD, Ohio - Junior pitcher Jessica Simpson threw the first no-hitter of her career in leading the Miami softball team to a 1-0 win over Northern Illinois in the first game of a doubleheader Friday afternoon. The Huskies captured the second game, 4-1, to end the RedHawks' eight-game winning streak. Miami is now 29-19 overall and 12-8 in the Mid-American Conference. NIU is 24-25 overall and 11-7 in the MAC.
Simpson allowed only two walks in throwing the first no-hitter for any Miami pitcher since Jackie Poggendorf threw one against Ohio on Apr. 3, 2005. No Huskie runner advanced past first base against Simpson. She struck out seven. Simpson is now 24-12 on the season and is one win away from tying Kristy Burch's single-season record of 25 set in 1990.
Miami scored the only run it needed in the bottom of the second inning. Kathryn Russette led off the frame with a single up the middle. She was replaced by pinch-runner Brandi Hernandez. Jordan McElroy put down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Hernandez over to second base. Jenna McGivney brought her home with a double to left center.
Kirstie Fehrenbach was the leading hitter in the opener for the RedHawks, going 3-for-3.
The nightcap was a scoreless duel between Miami's Katie Osburn and NIU's Morgan Bittner through four innings. In the top of the fifth, the first two Huskie runners got on base off of a hit and an error. The RedHawks responded by bringing Simpson back into the game. She struck out the next batter to get the first out, but gave up a walk to load the bases. Northern Illinois finally got its first run off her with a single just over second base to bring in the game's first run. A wild pitch would bring in another run and a double would make it 4-0.
Simpson would settle down, shutting out the Huskies the rest of the way. Miami would begin a valiant comeback attempt with a run in the bottom of the sixth inning. With two outs, McElroy would single through the left side to score Fehrenbach and make it 4-1. In the bottom of the seventh, Kayla Ledbetter would lead off with a single to right field. Kristy Arbour would then reach on an error by the third baseman. A wild pitch would move both up a base. Bittner got the next two batters to groundout, leaving it up to Allie Larrabee. Larrabee smoke a lined shot towards centerfield, but the NIU shortstop dove to her left and was able to make a spectacular catch to end the game.
McElroy finished the nightcap, 2-for-3 with one RBI. Fehrenbach was 2-for-4 with one run scored. Osburn took the loss, giving up one earned run on two hits in four innings pitched.
Miami begins its final series of the regular season when it hosts Western Michigan Saturday at 6 p.m. The two teams will conclude the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. Prior to that game will be the Senior Day festivities where McGivney, Russette and Meghan Mawn will be honored in a pregame ceremony.
