Spartan Softball Splits In Second Day Of USF/Wilson Tournament

Feb. 15, 2004

TAMPA, Fla. - Michigan State softball (2-1) split its Sunday games in the USF Wilson Tournament in Tampa, as the Spartans defeated host South Florida (8-2), 10-5, and fell to Florida (6-1), 3-2 in extra innings. State senior pitcher Jessica Beech worked 13.1 innings in the two games, and allowed four runs, three earned, on 14 hits and two walks. She struck out 11 and gave up just two extra-base hits.

Beech also led MSU at the plate, going 4-7 with a home run, three batted in and two bases on balls on the day. Also on Sunday, freshman Dayna Feenstra was 3-6 as the designated player, contributing two RBIs. Elizabeth Peterson and Natalie Furrow each had a double, a run scored and drove in two on Sunday.

The Spartans' game against host South Florida entered a rain delay in the middle of the third inning on Saturday, with the score tied at 5-5 when the teams were called off the field. When play resumed Sunday, the score remained 5-5 until MSU scored in the seventh inning. The Spartans got three consecutive USF outs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings to start the day defensively.

In the top of the seventh against USF, State scored four runs. Victoria Morache drove in two to start the scoring, while Furrow repeated Morache's efforts three plays later, as she drove in two to make the final score 10-5.

Against Florida, the Spartans jumped on the board in the first inning, as Brittney Green was hit by pitch and Beech homered in the next at bat to put MSU up, 2-0. Florida pitcher Jenny Gladding struck out the next three Spartan batters. State held the 2-0 lead until the bottom of the fourth inning, when Gladding hit a leadoff home run to left field. A double from Kristen Butler followed by an error by MSU's Morache allowed Florida to knot the score at 2-2.

From there, neither team scored, and the game went into tournament tiebreaker rules. MSU threatened in the top of the eighth, as Amy Szawara pinch ran for Peterson, and was placed on second to start the inning. She moved to third on a single from Feenstra, but the Spartans couldn't score, as Morache grounded into a fielder's choice, eliminating the runner on second, and Angel Merren grounded out to third.

In the bottom of the eighth, Beech got Lauren Roussell to pop up to the first baseman, but a single by Gladding and an error by Peterson, MSU's catcher, allowed the Stacy Rosen, the pinch runner placed on second to start the inning, to score and gave Florida the 3-2 victory.

The Spartans outhit UF, 9-7 in the game, but left 10 runners on base to Florida's six.

State plays its final game of the USF/Wilson Tournament Monday at 9 a.m. against Seton Hall.