Michigan State University
Purdue
MSU Softball Sweeps Doubleheader From Purdue
4/27/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 27, 2003
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State softball team bounced back from a disappointing loss to Indiana Saturday, rebounding to sweep a doubleheader from Purdue Sunday at Old College Field. MSU won game one, 4-1, before earning a 4-2 victory in game two. The victories improved Michigan State's record to 33-15 overall and 11-6 in the Big Ten, and in the process, guaranteed MSU a spot in the six-team Big Ten Tournament. The Spartans, who are currently in fourth place in the conference, can finish no worse than fifth place with just two league games remaining.
Michigan State pitchers cooled off the Purdue bats, as the Boilermakers, who entered the weekend leading the Big Ten with a .308 team batting average, managed just seven total hits in 44 at bats over the two games, for a .159 team batting average.
Junior Jessica Beech (Okemos, Mich.) fired a complete-game three-hitter as MSU won the opening game, 4-1. Beech struck out four and walked one while improving to 22-7 this season. Beech did not allow a hit until the fourth inning, and only a scratch hit in the sixth prevented her from earning a shutout.
Michigan State used timely hitting while scoring four times on six hits in the opening game. MSU pushed across a run in the first inning when senior Sandy Lewis (Empire, Mich.) led off with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice, and later scored on a two-out single through the right side by senior Tiffany Wallace (Wildomar, Calif.).
Neither team could move a runner past second base until the Spartans broke through for four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. After two quick outs, junior Brittney Green (Simi Valley) lined her fifth home-run of the season over the leftfield wall, giving MSU a 2-0 lead. Lewis followed with another single, and after a walk put two runners on base, junior Natalie Furrow (San Diego, Calif.) laced a triple down the rightfield line, scoring both runners and putting the Spartans on top, 4-0.
Purdue's lone run came in the sixth. After a leadoff single up the middle and a groundout put a runner on second with one out, Angi Roembke slapped a ball through a drawn-in infield, and Angela Knight scored all the way from second as the ball rolled slowly toward the outfield grass in right field. But Beech induced Andrea Hillsey to ground into a double play to end the inning, and retired the Boilermakers in order in the seventh to preserve the victory.
Lewis and Furrow had two hits each for MSU in the opener, with Wallace and Green picking up the only other hits.
Game two was a case of missed opportunities for Michigan State, but the Spartans earned a 4-2 victory anyway. MSU stranded a whopping 15 base runners to just two for Purdue. The Spartans outhit Purdue, 11-4, drew seven walks to one for Purdue and had three runners reach by error.
Purdue struck first in the bottom of the first inning, using a walk, a sacrifice, an infield hit and a sacrifice fly to grab a 1-0 lead.
Michigan State, which stranded two base runners in both the first and second innings, scored one run in each of the next three innings but left the bases loaded each time. Consecutive errors by Purdue put runners on second and third with nobody out in the third frame, but Wallace grounded out to third and Beech grounded back to the pitcher. Sophomore Janette Hurtado (Rowland Heights, Calif.) walked to load the bases, before senior Lacy Hauxhurst (Westminster, Calif.) induced a walk of her own to force in a run, tying the score at 1-1. Junior Angel Merren (Wayland, Mich.) struck out to end the threat.
In the MSU fourth, Green led off with a single, Lewis walked, and senior Margaret Schick (Grass Lake, Mich.) reached on an infield hit to load the bases with nobody out. But Furrow struck out swinging and Wallace flew to shallow right for the first two outs of the inning. Beech then grounded to third, but a Boilermaker error allowed Green to score, putting MSU on top, 2-1. Hurtado struck out to end the inning.
With one out in the fifth, Merren and Green hit back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners. After a Purdue pitching change, Lewis singled to right, scoring Merren to give MSU a 3-1 edge. A walk loaded the bases, but Furrow grounded into a fielder's choice and Wallace struck out looking as the Spartans left the bases loaded again.
The Spartans added another tally in the sixth thanks to a two-out rally. Hauxhurst and Merren drew back-to-back walks before Green singled to center, scoring Hauxhurst, although Green was thrown out at second base on the play.
Meanwhile, sophomore pitcher Stephanie Christner (Sigourney, Iowa) was cruising since allowing the run in the first inning. After a one-out single in the second, Christner did not allow another hit until a harmless single in the sixth inning. Christner allowed a solo home run in the seventh, but still allowed just four hits and one walk to improve to 9-5 this season.
Schick and Green both had three hits and scored for Michigan State in the second game, while Green also had an RBI. Merren added two hits and a run scored for the Spartans. Furrow doubled to rightfield in the first inning to extend her hitting streak to 11 games.
Michigan State will host Detroit for a doubleheader Thursday, May 1, beginning at 4 p.m., before wrapping up the regular season next weekend against Michigan. The Spartans host the Wolverines Saturday (May 3) at 1 p.m., and will visit Ann Arbor next Sunday (May 4) for another 1 p.m. contest.
