Michigan State University
College of Charleston
Softball Takes Two In Charleston
2/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 28, 2003
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Michigan State softball team picked up a pair of hard-fought wins at the Cougar Classic in Charleston, S.C., on Friday, Feb. 28. The Spartans moved to 6-3 on the season after opening with a 3-2 (10 innings) defeat of Virginia and holding on to beat the College of Charleston, 7-6, in the second game of the day.
In the Spartans' opening game, Virginia took the early 1-0 lead in the second inning, but the Spartans tied it up and took the lead in the fifth, as Margaret Schick (Grass Lake, Mich.) and Elizabeth Peterson (Riverside, Calif.) both crossed home plate. An error by the UVA second baseman while Tiffany Wallace (Wildomar, Calif.) was up to bat allowed the two runs to score.
The Cavaliers tied up the score at the top of the seventh inning and for the fourth time this season, the Spartans used extra innings to determine the winner.
In the bottom of the tenth inning and the longest game of the season for MSU, Brittney Green (Simi Valley, Calif.) began the inning at second, following the International Tie-Breaker Rule. A base hit by Angel Merren (Wayland, Mich.) allowed Green to advance to third. MSU pitcher, Jessica Beech (Okemos, Mich.), who struck out 15 batters in 10 innings of work, hit a single, which enabled Green to cross home plate and seal the victory for the Spartans.
Following a quick turnaround, the Spartans faced the College of Charleston. Michigan State scored at lease one run in each of the first four innings and held onto a 5-1 lead in the fifth, but the Cougars refused to give up, cutting the lead to two in the sixth and taking the lead in the top of the seventh. A pair of runs to close out the inning gave MSU the nail-biting victory.
Sandy Lewis (Empire, Mich.) scored on a double by Wallace and Carrie Cousino (Okemos, Mich.), pinch running for Wallace, crossed home plate on a single by Beech to open the game. Lewis scored again in the third inning on a wild pitch by the C of C pitcher. Green's single in the fourth allowed Beech and Amy Szawara (Canton, Mich.) to score.
After the College of Charleston took a 6-5 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, a single by Lewis drove home Lacy Hauxhurst (Westminster, Calif.) to even the game. When Wallace was walked with a bases loaded situation, Schick scored for the final run of the game, giving the Spartans the 7-6 edge.
MSU used a trio of pitchers in the game, as Stephanie Christner (Sigourney, Iowa), Katie Joosten (Anaheim, Calif.) and Beech all saw action. Beech recorded the victory to bring her season record to 6-1.
The Spartans return to action tomorrow (March 1) at the Cougar Classic, hosted by the College of Charleston. MSU will face St. Francis at 10 a.m., and Winthrop at noon. Tournament play starts at 3 p.m., for the seven squads competing in Charleston, S.C.
