Nicosia Sisters Guide MSU Softball Past Tulsa, 3-1

March 18, 2005

BOCA RATON, Fla. - Sisters Nikki and Traci Nicosia combined for four hits, three runs and two RBI in Michigan State softball's 3-1 victory over Tulsa (15-17) Friday, March 18, at the Florida Atlantic Tournament. Rachel Turney (4-8) gave up only three hits and struck out six en route to her seventh complete game of the season vs. the Golden Hurricane. In her last 37.0 IP, Turney has given up only three earned runs. In a drastically different first game, MSU (5-15-1) committed six errors in a 7-0 loss to a tough No. 12 Texas A&M (24-2) squad.

The first game of the tournament pitted the Spartans against the Aggies and A&M quickly got on the board in the bottom of the first off MSU starter Christy McGrew, all thanks to Sharonda McDonald. A&M's center fielder lined one up the middle, stole her 27th base of the year and scored on a two-base wild pitch. It came close to adding a run in the second with pitcher Amanda Scarborough on third and nobody out. The Spartan defense kept the Aggie lead to 1-0, though, after a 6-3 groundout, a fielder's choice where second baseman Janette Hurtado threw out Scarborough at home and Rocky Spencer left first base early on a pitch by McGrew for the third out.

MSU managed to put a runner in scoring position in both the second and third innings but could not bring them around. Texas A&M kept pouring the pressure on, posting two more runs on a two-out, bases loaded double by Megan Gibson. Adrian Gregory gave the Aggies a 4-0 advantage with a home run to left field in the fourth. But Hurtado again prevented them from scoring more in the inning, snagging a ground ball and throwing to catcher Amy Szawara where she tagged out Spencer at home to help move on to the fifth.

A&M would not quit in the fifth, increasing the lead to 7-0 care of four Aggie hits, including Gregory's second four-bagger of the game, as well as two Spartan errors. Scarborough (13-0), meanwhile, was too much for State, allowing only one hit through six innings, giving way to Lisa Gorzycki in the seventh. Caitlin Mahoney tried to ruin the shutout bid, leading off the final frame with a double off the wall in left for her second hit against A&M. Three batters later and Gorzycki closed the game out.

Michigan State immediately turned around to face Tulsa in the second game. Turney and Tulsa's Julie Fennell squared off in the circles and each hurler retired the first three batters they saw. The Golden Hurricane took the early lead off a second-inning solo shot by Katie Torres. The dinger did not affect Turney as she went on to sit down the next 13 UT hitters, highlighted by striking out the side in the third.

The Spartans responded in their half of the third with an infield single by Nikki Nicosia to lead off the stanza and was sacrificed over to second by Victoria Morache. A fly out to center by Hurtado gave Tulsa its second out, but Traci Nicosia followed by recording her second triple of the year, a shot to left-center that scored Nikki from second. On the play, MSU took the lead when the relay throw from shortstop Stacey Walkingstick to third base bounced into the Spartan dugout, allowing Traci to cross home plate.

The Nicosias were at it again in the fifth. Nikki placed a one-out single to left field and Morache got into the act with an infield single to put two runners on. Hurtado then popped up, but Traci blasted another two-out hit, this time a single up the middle, to score Nikki and guide State to a 3-1 lead.

Through six innings, Turney had given up only one ball out of the infield as the Golden Hurricane never threatened to cut into the MSU lead. The seventh proved differently, however, as Tulsa put two runners on with one out. Torres singled and reached second when Turney gave up her only walk of the afternoon to put Kelly Miller aboard. With UT needing just an extra-base hit to tie the game, Turney forced Sara Dyer to foul out and get Angela Osbon to ground to third, securing the 3-1 MSU victory.

Traci Nicosia went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored while Nikki Nicosia notched her first two-hit game in a Spartan uniform, hitting a perfect 2-for-2 and scoring two runs. Turney lowered her ERA to 1.61 as she gave up only three balls that went out of the infield (home run, single and a fly out to center). State's defense battled back from the six-error game against Texas A&M and played perfect "D" vs. the Golden Hurricane.

The Spartans continue play at the Florida Atlantic Tournament Saturday, March 19, when they battle Florida International at 1 p.m. and Florida Atlantic at 7 p.m.

            1   2   3   4   5   6   7       R   H   EMichigan State      0   0   0   0   0   0   0       0   2   6Texas A&M       1   0   2   1   3   0   X       7   11  1Records: MSU 4-15-1, Texas A&M 24-2W: Amanda Scarborough (13-0)L: Christy McGrew (1-4)Caitlin Mahoney: 2-for-3, 2B
         1   2   3   4   5   6   7       R   H   ETulsa           0   1   0   0   0   0   0       1   3   1Michigan State      0   0   2   0   1   0   X       3   6   0Records: MSU 5-15-1, Tulsa 15-17W: Rachel Turney (4-8)L: Julie Fennell (5-9)Nikki Nicosia: 2-for-2, 2 RunsTraci Nicosia: 2-for-3, 3B, 2 RBI, 1 RunRachel Turney: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, Seventh CG of the year.