Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Lehigh
Softball Sweeps Doubleheader With Lehigh
3/4/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 4, 2007
PLANT CITY, Fla. - The Michigan State softball team (7-6) concluded play at the Plant City Tournament on Sunday, posting two victories over Lehigh, 2-1 (9) and 2-0, to remain undefeated at the two-day event (4-0). State defeated Saint Joseph's and Harvard on Saturday, 4-3 and 8-2, respectively.
Senior pitcher Rachel Turney earned the start in game one of the doubleheader against the Mountain Hawks, allowing no earned runs in four innings of work in the circle. Junior reliever Lesley Noel (1-0) earned the victory for the Spartans, allowing no runs in her seventh relief appearance of the year.
MSU first baseman Dayna Feenstra went 2-for-4 at the plate, adding her first home run of the season for the Green and White. Center fielder Nikki Nicosia added two singles in the extra-inning contest.
State scored its first run in the second inning on Feenstra's home run. Lehigh answered with an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth frame, and the teams remained tied at 1-1 through regulation to force extra innings. With two outs in the top of the ninth, Feenstra doubled, and the Lehigh second baseman overthrew first base on a Gina Mondo ground ball to score Feenstra for the deciding 2-1 Spartan advantage.
Megan Hair pitched four innings in the circle in game two, improving her record to 2-3 for the year. Noel made her second relief appearance versus the Mountain Hawks, allowing no hits through the final two innings of play.
The Spartans scored both of their runs in the bottom half of the first inning. Nikki Nicosia began the set with an infield single and advanced to second on an errant throw by the Lehigh second baseman. Sophomore catcher Kara Weigle followed with an infield single, and Nikki Nicosia scored on a Traci Nicosia sacrifice fly for the first Spartan run of the inning. Feenstra lined a ground ball to the Mountain Hawk second baseman to score Weigle for the deciding 2-0 MSU advantage.
State returns to action on Tuesday, March 6 in a doubleheader versus Saint Joseph's at the EC Moore Complex in Clearwater, Fla. Game one is schedule to begin at 3 p.m.
