Spartans Sweep UC Riverside In Tuesday Doubleheader

March 9, 2004

Michigan State Post-Event Release - Freshman Nicole Mercado posted two triples in the second game of a doubleheader as Michigan State softball took two games from UC Riverside in Riverside Tuesday, 2-1 and 7-6. State is now 12-6 on the year, while UC Riverside falls to 5-18.

The Spartans scored in the first inning of the first game, as Jessica Beech singled to left and then stole second. She moved to third on a hit from Natalie Furrow, and Elizabeth Peterson drove in Beech. MSU allowed the Highlanders to score in the bottom of the third, as an error brought Eliizabeth Buck around to score. The Spartans' go-ahead run crossed the plate in the top of the sixth, as Beech bunted for a leadoff single, and Furrow sacrificed to move her to second. Dayna Feenstra doubled to drive in Beech and give MSU the 2-1 win.

Beech picked up the complete game win, moving her record to 8-4. She allowed one unearned run on seven hits and two walks. She struck out five and hit one batter. At the plate, she was 2-3 and scored both MSU runs. Peterson was 1-3 with an RBI, while Feenstra posted the only extra-base hit of the game with her RBI double.

In the second game, MSU jumped on the board with three runs in the top of the second. Peterson led off with a single, moving her current hitting streak to 10 games, and advanced to third on an error by the UCR third baseman that allowed Brittney Green to reach first. Feenstra's second of her three doubles on the day drove in both base runners. Pinch runner Amy Szawara came around to score three plays later. UCR put two runs on the board in the bottom of the inning, and State answered with single runs in the top of the fourth and fifth and two more in the top of the sixth.

Mercado picked up her first triple of the day in the fifth, as she led off the inning and scored on a single from Furrow. The Spartans couldn't capitalize upon their five hits, as they left three on base. In the top of the sixth, Mercado hit her second triple with two outs and Furrow again drove her in. MSU left two runners on base in the inning.

UCR made the final score 7-6 as it scored three times in the bottom of the seventh. MSU's Christy McGrew (2-1) threw 4.0 innings in the start and allowed three runs on nine hits. She did not walk a batter. Katie Joosten worked 2.0 innings in relief, and allowed two runs on one hit and one hit batsman, while Beech threw 1.0 innings and allowed a run on one hit and a base on balls. She struck out two.

At the plated, Peterson was 3-4 with a run scored, while Mercado and Furrow were both 2-4 at the plate. Brittney Green and Feenstra were both 2-3. Green scored two runs and drove in one. Feenstra had two RBIs. State had 13 hits in the game, and did not commit an error in the field.

State remains in southern California until March 13 for its 2004 Spring Break trip and next plays Thursday, March 11 when it faces Florida at 2:30 p.m. (PST) and Cal State Fullerton at 5 p.m. Both games will be played at Fullerton's Titan Softball Complex.

Game 1             R   H   EMICHIGAN STATE  100 001 0   2   5   3UC Riverside    001 000 0   1   7   0
Game 2              R   H   EMICHIGAN STATE  030 112 0   7   13  0UC Riverside    020 010 3   6   11  3