Michigan State University
Indiana*
A Balanced Offense Enables Softball To Edge Indiana, 3-2
4/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 2, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Without the use of an extra-base hit, Michigan State's softball team collected seven singles from seven different players as the Spartans (9-16-1, 2-0 Big Ten) completed the two-game sweep at Indiana, 3-2, Saturday, April 2. Rachel Turney matched her season-high of nine strikeouts as MSU has now won five of its last six games.
Turney's nine Ks gave her 95 on the year as she improved to 7-9 overall. Of her first seven outs against the Hoosiers (10-24, 0-2), six came by way of the strikeout. It was also her 10th complete game in 2005.
State served as the home team and its bats went to work in the bottom of the second with the help of four-straight singles, all with two down. Elizabeth Peterson got aboard with a one-out walk from IU starter Mariangee Bogado. Following a fly out by Dana Rosenblatt to left field, Amy Szawara, Meghan Darhower, Nicole Mercado and Victoria Morache all recorded clutch, two-out base hits to give the Green and White a 2-0 advantage.
MSU struck again in the third, scoring what proved to be the game-winning run. Janette Hurtado led off the inning with an infield single and Traci Nicosia moved her up with a sacrifice bunt. State successfully manufactured the run when Dayna Feenstra ripped a pitch to right-center to bring home Hurtado from second.
Indiana threatened to produce a huge inning in the fifth when it had bases loaded and only one out with the Hoosiers' leading hitter at the plate in Tory Yamaguchi. However, Turney allowed only one run, forcing Yamaguchi to hit into a fielder's choice that scored Heather Hohs and followed that up by fanning Lauren Hines for the third out, leaving MSU up by two, 3-1.
Turney felt the pressure again in the seventh inning. She recorded the first out on a grounder back to the circle by Hohs, but gave up a base hit to Kim Richards. After Ashley Griffiths flied out to right, Yamaguchi tripled in Richards to make it a one-run game. With the tying run at third, Turney sealed the victory with a fly out by Hines to right field.
Michigan State concludes its weekend with a doubleheader at Purdue Sunday, April 3, beginning at Noon CT.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EIndiana 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 5 0Michigan State 0 2 1 0 0 0 X 3 7 1Records: MSU 9-16-1, 2-0 Big Ten IU 10-24, 0-2 Big TenW: Rachel Turney (7-9)L: Mariangee Bogado (0-3)Turney's Line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 9 K
