April 18, 2008

Box Score

Buffalo, N.Y. - Miami improved its Mid-American Conference record to 9-3 with a doubleheader sweep of Buffalo on Friday, winning game one, 9-1, and shutting out the Bulls, 1-0, in game two.

Freshman Meghan Mawn had a monster day at the plate, going 5-for-7, driving in three runs and crossing the plate three times. With the five-hit outburst, Mawn raised her batting average 25 percentage points, bringing her batting average to .339 on the season.

Meredith Linch and Shalise Lugo were solid in the circle for Miami, allowing just one combined run in the sweep. In the first game, Linch gave up one run on four hits, striking out six and walking none on the way to her 12th victory of the year. The outing was Linch's fourth-consecutive complete game, giving her a team-leading 12 games in which she went the distance.

Lugo was equally impressive in the second game, shutting out the Bulls, while striking out six and giving up four hits on the way to her seventh win of the year. Lugo has given up just one run in her last 14 innings.

Miami opened the scoring early in game one, sending 11 batters to the plate and pushing across six runs on a combination of six hits and two Buffalo errors in the top of the first inning.

The RedHawks extended their lead to 6-0 in the top of the second, when Mawn was able to advance home on a passed ball. The run was Mawn's second of the game.

Mawn continued to torch the Buffalo pitching staff in the third inning, as she ripped a shot up the middle, driving in her second run of the game, scoring senior Halle Popson from third base.

Buffalo's Kristen Gallipani pulled the Bulls one run closer in the bottom half of the third, with a solo home run that just cleared the left field fence. Gallipani now leads Buffalo with four home runs.

Miami went on to score one run in the fifth and one in the sixth to put the run rule into effect, giving the RedHawks their eighth conference victory of the year.

The second game's only run was scored in the fourth inning, as Mawn doubled over the head of the centerfielder to drive in Popson.

The RedHawks will now travel to Kent State to take on the Golden Flashes in an important match up, as Miami sits behind only KSU in the MAC East standings. The games are set for a 2 p.m. start Saturday, and 1 p.m. on Sunday.