Michigan State University
Central Michigan
Michigan State Suffers 3-1 Loss To Central Michigan
4/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 13, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. - A seventh-inning, two-run home run by Christian Dhondt helped Central Michigan defeat Michigan State, 3-1, Wednesday, April 13, at Old College Field. The victory was CMU's 12th in its last 13 games as the Chippewas jumped to 18-8 on the year while the Green and White fell to 14-22-1.
Caitlin Mahoney's nine-game hitting streak and Victoria Morache's six-game streak came to an end in the game. Dayna Feenstra gave MSU its only run on a sacrifice fly in the sixth. Rachel Turney pitched a complete-game five hitter while striking out six in the loss.
In the top of the first, Turney breezed through the inning by striking out the first two batters and picking up the third out on a grounder to first. State put a runner at second in its half when Nikki Nicosia reached on an error by shortstop Stephanie Crews and then stole her team-leading 10th base of the year. After a walk to Mahoney, Chippewa starter Jessica Garvin got Elizabeth Peterson to fly out to right to end the frame.
Turney did give up a lead-off single to CMU's top hitter, Amy Hudson, in the second. A sacrifice and two more strikeouts later and Hudson was left on base. It was not until the fifth that either offense got something going. With two outs, Dhondt singled up the middle and Crews followed with an RBI triple over Nicole Mercado's head in right. Down 1-0, Turney managed to leave Crews at third by forcing Karen Hohs to pop up to second.
Mercado ruined Garvin's no-hit and shutout bid when she led off the sixth with a single that sailed just out of the reach of Hohs at second. Morache hit into a fielder's choice but Nikki Nicosia notched an infield single to Crews, giving MSU with runners at first and second and only one out. A wild pitch moved both Spartans into scoring position and it proved costly. With a full count, Feenstra lined one to deep center where Christin Sobeck snagged it, but it was deep enough to score Morache and tie the ball game at 1-1.
Central Michigan came right back in the seventh and took the lead for good when Dhondt sent a two-run homer over the wall in left center. Garvin wrapped up the game, albeit after allowing a single to Amy Szawara and a walk to pinch-hitter Heidi Charon in the seventh, to lock up the win.
MSU returns to Big Ten play this weekend when it travels to Wisconsin Friday (6 p.m. CT) and Saturday (noon CT) and then heads to Minnesota Sunday (noon CT).
