Michigan State University
Oakland
Lesley Noel Posts Shutout In MSU's Sweep Of Oakland
4/19/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 19, 2005
ROCHESTER, Mich. - Two dominating performances took place at Oakland University Tuesday, April 19, as the Michigan State softball team defeated the Golden Grizzlies 4-0 and 5-0 in a doubleheader sweep. Sophomore Rachel Turney (10-13) and freshman Lesley Noel (5-4) each posted complete-game shutouts to help MSU jump to 18-24-1 overall. The wins marked the first time since the 2002 season that State shutout the same opponent in a doubleheader (April 6 at IPFW, 2-0 and 17-0).
Turney picked up a blanking for the second time in her last three starts in State's first win, scattering five hits, striking out eight and not walking a batter in the process. The eight Ks were one short of her season best. All of Michigan State's six hits came from six different batters. For the second triumph, Noel went the distance, giving up only three hits and striking out a career-high four while also not issuing a walk. Janette Hurtado was 3-for-4 in the game with two RBI and a run scored as the Spartans blasted out 11 hits, including Victoria Morache, Dayna Feenstra and Amy Szawara notching two apiece. Combined, Hurtado was 4-for-8 overall with four RBI.
In the first game, Oakland (5-31) picked up a two-out hit in the first inning but it was surrounded by Turney striking out the side. State was the first to threaten when Elizabeth Peterson got the second going with a walk from pitcher Laura Chomokos (2-13), was sacrificed to second by Traci Nicosia and reached third on a wild pitch. However, Feenstra fanned on strike three and Szawara grounded out to short to leave Peterson stranded.
The Spartans stormed right back in the third and this time took the lead. With one away, Nicole Mercado dropped a single into left center and went to second on a ground-ball out to the circle off the bat of Morache. Following a four-pitch walk to Nikki Nicosia, Hurtado laced an 0-1 double to left field, scoring both Mercado and Nikki Nicosia.
After going in order in the fourth, MSU added two more in the fifth. Meghan Darhower led off the inning with a single down the left-field line and a fly out to left by Mercado gave Chomokos her first out. Morache came through with her first triple of the year, a shot to right center to allow Darhower to touch home. Nikki Nicosia then placed a bunt in front of the plate where Chomokos picked it up, looked back at Morache who was dancing off third and threw to first. The glance over to third cost Chomokos some time and Nicosia beat out the throw, which Morache took advantage of and raced towards home to score MSU's fourth run of the game.
In the first four innings, Oakland managed three two-out hits, including a triple in the third, only to see Turney keep the Grizzlies scoreless. Christina Schulte helped OU get its first lead-off hitter aboard with a single in the fifth, but could not come around to score when Turney struck out the next two batters and picked up a grounder to second to get out of it. The sophomore hurler retired the side in the sixth and insured herself of the victory in the seventh as the game ended on a line-drive, 4-3 double play.
State jumped on the Golden Grizzlies early in the second game by scoring an unearned run in the first inning. Morache reached and traveled to second on a throwing error by third baseman Alex Perrino. A wild pitch by Nicole Marzano (3-12) moved Morache to third and Hurtado drove her in with a perfectly-placed liner between Perrino and shortstop Lisa Colores into left.
Morache once again gave MSU a lead-off runner with an infield single to open the third and promptly got into scoring position by stealing second. Nikki Nicosia blooped a two-strike pitch into left where Megan Thelen let it slide under her glove to enable Morache to score and Nicosia to reach second. Hurtado made it 3-0 with a single to center, went to second on a pick-off attempt by catcher Danielle Shamus that sailed into right and reached third on a successful sacrifice by Peterson. On the first pitch she saw, Feenstra blasted a single up the middle to boost the lead to 4-0, and then sat the bench in place of pinch-runner Noel. State put two runners on by way of a fielder's choice from Caitlin Mahoney where Perrino gloved a grounder, started to throw to second and when she realized Noel was going to beat her throw, it was too late to get Mahoney at first. Another blunder in the field by OU, a throwing error by Lisa Colores at short on a grounder from Szawara, cost them another run as Noel scored her second run of the year.
Meanwhile, through the first three frames Noel faced the minimum of nine hitters, including a 6-4-3 double play in the second. The Spartans did commit two errors in the fourth and the Grizzlies recorded their first hit of the game as well. Fortunately, the freshman pitcher did not let the pressure get to her as she escaped the inning unharmed.
Back at the plate for the Green and White, State put two more runners on in their halves of the fourth and fifth stanzas, though it failed to score in either inning. Noel would not have needed those runs anyway as she breezed through the final three frames to preserve the shutout.
Michigan State heads home for the weekend when it takes on Iowa Friday (4 p.m.) and Saturday (noon) as well as Illinois in a Sunday doubleheader that begins at noon.
Game One 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EMichigan State 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 4 6 0Oakland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0Records: MSU 17-24-1 OAK 5-30W: Rachel Turney (10-13)L: Laura Chomokos (2-13)Turney's Line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K - Second shutout of the year
Game Two 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EMichigan State 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 5 11 3Oakland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 6Records: MSU 18-24-1 OAK 5-31W: Lesley Noel (5-4)L: Nicole Marzano (3-12)Noel's Line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K - First collegiate shutout
Combined hitting for both games:Janette Hurtado: 4-for-8, 2B 4 RBI, RunVictoria Morache: 3-for-7, 3B, RBI, 3 Run, BB, 2 SB
