Spartans And Mocs Clash In FAU Tournament Championship

March 19, 2006

BOCA RATON, Fla. -

Dayna Feenstra tallied a .500 on base percentage at the FAU Tournament

The Spartan softball team earned the No. 2 seed in bracket play at the FAU Parents' Weekend Softball Tournament on Sunday, where it faced the No. 1 seed UT-Chattanooga in the 9 a.m. championship match-up. State took the 5-2 victory, improving to 15-8 for the year propelled by a complete-game, nine strikeout effort from pitcher Rachel Turney. Nikki Nicosia went 2-4 at the plate, hitting her first career home run, while Turney's record improved to 8-4 in 2006. First baseman Dayna Feenstra and Turney were honored as tournament co-MVP's for their play throughout weekend competition.

Nikki Nicosia led-off the contest, blasting her first career home run over the right field fence, as State quickly took the 1-0 advantage. UTC answered in the bottom of the first, when consecutive errors by the Spartan infield put runners on second and third with one out. Lady Mocs catcher Ashleigh Bull sent a sac fly to left field, scoring the runner from third to even the score at 1-1.

UTC would add another run in the bottom of the third, when with two outs and a runner on third, Tara Tembey hit an RBI-single as the Lady Mocs took the 2-1 upperhand. With one out in the fifth, Gina Mondo tallied her first hit of the day, a double to the center field fence, as Jessica LeFevre stepped to the plate with the RBI opportunity for the Spartans. LeFevre would reach on an infield single, and steal second, putting runners in scoring position for the Green and White.

A wild pitch by UTC's Ashley Frizzell would plate Mondo, as the score stood even at 2-2. With LeFevre on third, a Traci Nicosia walk and stolen base, followed by a Meghan Darhower walk, Feenstra would take the plate with the bases loaded. A two-out, two-RBI single from Feenstra would score LeFevre and Nicosia, giving MSU its first lead of the contest at 4-2.

Nikki Nicosia added an RBI-single in the top of the sixth, scoring Mondo from second, as the Spartan lead edged to 5-2. Turney would down the Lady Mocs in order in the bottom half of the sixth, and would face just four batters in the bottom of the seventh, securing the 5-2 championship game win.

"I was very happy with our win today vs. Chattanooga," Spartan head coach Jacquie Joseph said. "I often talk about the three phases of our game, and today they all came together for us. I am still concerned about our defense though; we need to continue to work on that aspect of our game."

Nikki Nicosia and Feenstra each tallied two hits at the plate, while Mondo led the Spartan offense with two runs scored. Turney posted a game-best nine strikeouts, allowing just three hits and two runs for the day.

With a 2-2 performance in the championship win, and a .500 on base percentage for the weekend, Feenstra was named tournament co-MVP with Turney. Turney allowed just four earned runs in 20.0 innings pitched, adding 23 strikeouts with a 2-1 record in weekend play. Turney also garnered the decision in State's first win over a ranked opponent in 2006, a 5-3 victory over No. 25 North Carolina on Saturday.

Michigan State will travel to Ft. Wayne, Ind. this Wednesday, March 22, to face IPFW in a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for a 3 p.m. (est.) start time.