Michigan State University
Oakland
MSU Softball Splits Doubleheader At Oakland
4/23/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 23, 2003
ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Michigan State softball team earned its 30th win of the season - something it has not accomplished since 2000 - with a 9-1 six-inning victory in Wednesday's second game at Oakland. Unfortunately, the Spartans could not earn the sweep as Oakland escaped with a 1-0 win in the opener. MSU is now 30-14, while Oakland moved to 20-21-1.
MSU banged out 12 hits, drew seven walks and had two hit batters in the second game, providing more than enough offense for sophomore pitcher Stephanie Christner (Sigourney, Iowa), who improved to 8-5. Christner struck out a career-high seven batters while allowing one unearned run on six hits and two walks.
Junior Natalie Furrow (San Diego, Calif.) had three hits and drove in a run for the Spartans in game two. Junior Jessica Beech (Okemos, Mich.) had a double and a single, walked twice, scored twice, was hit by a pitch and drove in a run, while junior Angel Merren (Wayland, Mich.) reached base in all four of her plate appearances with a triple and three walks, and scored twice.
Michigan State got on the board first, after a hit batter, an error and a sacrifice put runners on second and third with one out. Senior Tiffany Wallace (Wildomar, Calif.) hit a ball in the hole between short and third and the shortstop's only play was to try to throw home, but the throw was late as Beech scored, although Wallace was thrown out trying to advance to second.
MSU started the third inning with a double by Beech, a hit batter, and an single by Furrow, but Furrow's single up the middle hit second base and popped in the air, resulting in a rundown in which senior Sandy Lewis (Empire, Mich.) was tagged out at third base. After a strikeout, senior Lacy Hauxhurst (Westminster, Calif.) walked to load the bases, but sophomore Janette Hurtado (Rowland Heights, Calif.) grounded to third to end the threat.
Michigan State took control with a strange four-run fifth inning. Merren led off inning with a triple to rightcenter. After a groundout, senior Margaret Schick (Grass Lake, Mich.) walked and then continued on to second base, drawing an errant throw from the pitcher which went into centerfield, scoring Merren and moving Schick to third. After Beech walked, the Spartans executed a double steal with Schick scoring on the play. A Lewis single scored Beech, and an infield hit by Furrow put runners on first and second. Wallace then hit a long fly ball down the right field line that dropped fair and rolled to the wall, but because Furrow was retreating toward first base on the play, Wallace ended up with just a single as Lewis scored to make it 5-1.
MSU scored twice more in the top of the fifth inning, with the help of some poor Oakland fielding. Singles by Beech and Furrow were sandwiched around one of two Grizzly errors in the inning, leading to the two runs that put MSU on top, 7-1.
The Spartans pushed two more runs across in the sixth inning thanks to two hits and two walks. A walk by Beech with the bases full forced in Hurtado, who had singled, and Merren scored on a sacrifice fly by Lewis, making the score 9-1.
Christner then retired the side in order in the bottom of the sixth to wrap up the game for MSU.
Michigan State had 14 base-runners in the first game, but not one of them scored. MSU collected five hits, seven walks, a hit batter and a runner reaching by error, but could not capitalize on the many opportunities, stranding 11 runners.
Michigan State left six runners on base through the first four innings. Three of those runners were stranded in the fourth, when the Spartans had the bases loaded on two walks and a hit batter with just one out. But Christner struck out and Merren lined out to third to end the inning.
The Spartans wasted an even better chance to score in the fifth inning when they loaded the bases with nobody out. Schick led off with a bunt single and two more walks filled the bases. But Wallace missed a squeeze bunt and Schick was picked off third, and on the next pitch, Wallace grounded into a double play.
Michigan State had one final chance in the seventh inning, when with two outs Furrow singled and Wallace reached on an error, but junior Brittney Green (Simi Valley, Calif.) popped out to short to end the game.
Freshman Katie Joosten (Anaheim, Calif.) was the tough-luck loser in game one, surrendering just one run on four hits and one walk over the first four innings. Stephanie Christner pitched two scoreless innings in relief.
Tiffany Wallace went 0-for-3 in the first game, snapping her hitting streak at 14 games.
Michigan State returns home to host Indiana Friday (April 25), at 4 p.m.
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