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Sophomore Meredith Linch throws a pitch during her complete game shutout Saturday for a 1-0 Miami win. She also pitched all seven innings Sunday in a 3-1 loss.

Linch pitches 'Hawks to weekend split as offense goes silent

By: Ben Garbarek

Posted: 4/15/08

As the temperature in Oxford took a nosedive from the sunny 70s to the frigid 40s, the Miami University softball team's bats followed suit.

The RedHawks' weekend series against in-conference rival Ball State University featured two games with two different outcomes but one continuing problem.

"We didn't play well offensively," head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly said.

The RedHawks tallied only one run in each game against the Cardinals. Fortunately for the Red and White, the lone run Saturday was all the offense they needed to win the first game of the series.

Sophomore Meredith Linch tossed the first complete game shutout of the season, allowing only three hits while striking out eight batters.

Linch said the scoreboard made all the difference while on the mound.

"It's always easier to pitch while you're ahead," Linch said of her 11th win of the year.

The RedHawks made Linch's job easier in the first inning thanks to the continued hot hitting of senior Breanna Robinson. Robinson's triple sent sophomore second baseman Meghan Mawn across home plate for Miami's lone run.

Robinson, who currently stands atop the leader board for Miami in hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs and slugging percentage, attributes her batting prowess and success this season to hard work on and off the field.

"My strength and conditioning have improved (this season)," Robinson said. "I feel like I have a better understanding of the game … I just try to get stronger at what I was weaker at before."

Weak was not an adjective used to describe Robinson the following day as the senior center fielder again accounted for Miami's lone run on the afternoon.

Robinson smacked a double into left field to score senior first baseman Halle Popson from third. The RBI double gave Robinson her 34th RBI of the season, inching closer to Leslie Macedo's school record of 37 RBIs in a single season set last year.

Unfortunately for the Red and White faithful that braved the rain and cold temperatures, Robinson's lone RBI wasn't enough to earn the series sweep as Miami dropped the finale 3-1 at Miami Softball Park.

"Every opportunity is a learning experience," Robinson said. "This weekend we were on both sides of it."

Linch took the mound for the RedHawks for the second consecutive day, but was unable to repeat the complete game shutout magic from the day before.

Linch pitched all 14 innings of the weekend and escaped 13 of them without surrendering a run, but the top of the third was all Ball State needed to earn the series split. The sophomore gave up three earned runs, all in the third inning, to take the loss.

"You have to be on your A-game all the time," Linch said after falling to 11-9 on the season. "If you don't, they're going to pinpoint it. (Ball State) executed today, they came through in the clutch."

Despite jumping out to a 7-3 record in MAC play following a rough start against tough opponents in non-conference action, Schoenly isn't taking the loss lightly.

"Having lost the second game was huge," she said. "I'm disappointed and the team is disappointed. We (no longer have) momentum, we have to create our own (now)."

The loss dropped the RedHawks to 16-18 on the season, including 7-3 in the MAC while Ball State improved its record to 27-21 and an even 5-5 in conference. Miami will look to regain its momentum with a doubleheader Tuesday against Wright State.