Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Youngstown State
Softball Splits At Day One Of Miami Invitational
3/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 24, 2007
OXFORD, Ohio - Behind a seven-run second inning, the Spartan softball team (16-13) defeated Youngstown State (3-4), 14-0, in a run-rule five-inning contest at the Miami Invitational on Saturday. MSU dropped a 7-3 non-conference decision to Big Ten foe Purdue (16-21-1) in the opening game for the Spartans at the event.
Rachel Turney tossed 3.1 innings, allowing just one hit and three earned runs in the start against Purdue. She struck out five batters and walked just one, falling to 4-6 for the year. Junior reliever Lesley Noel allowed four hits and four earned runs in 2.2 innings of relief.
Senior first baseman Dayna Feenstra led MSU at the plate with a 3-for-4 effort, including one double. Center fielder Nikki Nicosia added two hits, while right fielder Nicole Mercado contributed one hit, one run and one RBI. Senior shortstop Meghan Darhower tallied one hit and one RBI in the loss.
Michigan State had the early momentum, as Mercado sent a solo shot over the outfield wall in the second and Darhower tallied an RBI single in the top half of the fourth to give MSU a 2-0 advantage. Purdue answered in the bottom half of the frame, behind a two-run home run by sophomore Katie Mitchell and two Spartan errors in the field to take a 4-2 upperhand.
Purdue added two runs in the fifth and an insurance run in the sixth to extend its lead to 7-2. In the top of the seventh, State loaded the bases on a walk, single and error, and added one run on a Feenstra single to left field. Boilermaker pitcher Ashley DiDomenico halted the threat with her fifth strikeout of the contest to close the 7-3 complete-game victory.
MSU scored three runs on seven hits and two Purdue errors, while the Boilermakers capitalized on three Spartan miscues, posting seven runs on five hits in the contest.
Sophomore hurler Megan Hair allowed just one hit, while striking out two in 3.0 innings of work in the circle to improve to a team-leading 7-6 for the year against Youngstown State. Freshman Kelly Confer tossed two innings in relief, allowing three hits and striking out one Penquin batter.
Nikki Nicosia tallied three hits, three runs and three RBI, while sophomore catcher Kara Weigle contributed two hits, two runs and a team-high four RBI. Traci Nicosia added two hits, and Jessica LeFevre tallied two hits and three runs. Third baseman Caitlin Mahoney added two runs and three RBI, and Darhower contributed two runs for the Green and White.
Nikki Nicosia singled and stole second to lead off the first inning. Mahoney reached as the result of a fielding error in the Penquin outfield, and Nicosia scored the first Spartan run of the game for a 1-0 upperhand. The MSU offense exploded in the second inning, scoring seven runs on five hits and one YSU error. With the bases loaded, Nikki Nicosia delivered a bases-clearing triple, followed by an RBI double by Weigle to push the Spartan lead to 5-0. Feenstra added a two-run double down the left field line scoring Weigle, and Mercado brought home State's seventh run of the set with a double to left for a dominating 8-0 lead.
LeFevre tripled to leadoff the Spartan third, followed by a single and steal by Nikki Nicosia to put runners on second and third with no outs in the set. LeFevre crossed the plate on a Weigle sacrifice, and Mahoney followed with a two-run homer to extend the Spartan lead to 11-0.
State added three runs on three hits and one Penquin error in the fifth. Darhower and LeFevre delivered consecutive singles to start the inning, both scoring on a two-run triple by Weigle. Mahoney brought Weigle home on a sacrifice fly to the YSU outfield for the deciding 14-0 Michigan State advantage.
The Spartans scored 14 runs on 13 hits and no errors, while the Penquins tallied three errors and four hits in the loss.
The Spartans conclude weekend action on Sunday against Toledo at 2 p.m., and host Miami at 4 p.m. at the Miami Softball Stadium.
