Michigan State University Athletics
Softball Concludes Regular Season With Northwestern Set
5/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 2, 2008
PDF of Complete MSU Game Notes and Stats
THIS WEEKEND FOR MSU SOFTBALL
The Spartans (26-26, 8-10) close out the regular season on the road at Big Ten rival No. 11 Northwestern (32-13, 16-2) on Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4. Both games are at 2 p.m. ET at Sharon J. Drysdale Field in Evanston, Ill., and will be televised live on the Big Ten Network. Fans can also listen to Sunday's game broadcast live by NU's student radio online at sports.wnur.org. Live stats are available at www.msuspartans.com
| NU Student Radio Broadcast (free)
The Spartans currently tie with Illinois for sixth place in conference standings, while Northwestern and Michigan are tangled at the top.
LAST TIME OUT
Michigan State dropped Thursday's game against Detroit Mercy (11-23), 9-5, in 14 innings at Old College Field; the game is the fifth longest game in MSU history. Shae Bass pitched the entire game for the Spartans, their longest contest since the 1-0, 18-inning loss to Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship on May 8, 2003. Bass set a career high with 11 strikeouts, the most thrown in a single game - and also by a single pitcher - this year.
MSU held a 5-1 lead heading into the final inning, but a four-hit, four-run top of the seventh for the Titans evened the score and forced extra innings. After six scoreless frames, Detroit Mercy's bats came alive with back-to-back doubles, and the Titans scored four unanswered runs to claim the come-from-behind win.
MICHIGAN STATE SCOUTING REPORT
Nikki Nicosia continues to lead the Spartans at the plate, batting a team-high .406 with a squad-high 69 hits, including eight doubles, 10 triples and six homers. Additionally, Nicosia's .19 triples per game is the second best in the nation. Junior second baseman Gina Mondo has also stepped up to provide offense consistency and efficiency. Mondo, who averages .360 at the dish, has a team high 10 doubles, which contribute to her 58 hits this season. And with six home runs, Mondo has the team's second-best RBI total with 32.
Mejia also serves as an offense force for the Spartans, batting .347 with 52 hits (six 2B, one 3B, nine HR). Additionally, the Spartans rely heavily on the 3-hole hitter to drive in runs, as she paces MSU with 38 RBI this season.
On the rubber, senior tri-captain Lesley Noel serves as the Spartans' ace, throwing nearly 60 percent of MSU's innings. Noel has fanned 124 opponents this season - a team high - and owns a 2.76 ERA.
Sophomore Kelly Confer and freshman Shae Bass add depth to MSU's bullpen, having recently helped carry the load in the circle, while junior Megan Hair also contributes. As a team, Michigan State allows 3.08 runs against per game.
THE WILDCAT SCOUTING REPORT The Wildcats are coming off a tough stretch of schedule, having just played four-consecutive games against ranked opponents including three against top- 10 foes. NU earned a split at No. 6 Michigan last Sunday before taking a lead into the seventh inning Tuesday against No. 1 Alabama, eventually falling in extra innings in that contest, 6-5. The Wildcats also fell to No. 23 DePaul 5-3 in five innings. Lead by junior infielder Tammy Williams, who is batting .493, the Wildcats average .292 at the plate, with 54 doubles and 56 home runs. Williams and Michelle Batts account for 10 doubles each, while Nicole Pauly paces the team with 12 homers. Williams, Batts and Erin Dyer each have 10 home runs as well.
On the rubber, Lauren Delaney has thrown nearly 95 percent of NU's innings (250.0 of 295.0), giving up 1.65 runs per game on average. With 370 strikeouts - good for 11th in the country, Delaney is one of the most efficient pitchers in the nation, averaging 10.4 Ks per seven innings. She ties with four other pitchers in fourth place for the nation's lowest ERA.
