Softball Hosts Bowling Green Tuesday; Oakland Games Moved To Thursday

April 20, 2009

Spartan Sports Podcasts
Lauren

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State softball team hosts two midweek games at Old College Field this week. The Spartans face Bowling Green Tuesday, April 21, in a game that was postponed last week. MSU then takes on Oakland in a doubleheader on Thursday, April 23, beginning at 3:30 p.m. The games against Oakland were originally scheduled for Wednesday, April 22, but have been moved due to potentially inclement weather.

Last Time Out
MSU dropped a doubleheader to 23rd-ranked Iowa Saturday afternoon. The Hawkeyes recorded an 8-0 win in the first game and posted a 4-3 victory in 10 innings in the second game. Sophomore Jessica Bracamonte recorded two RBIs for the Spartans and freshman Lauren Kramer struck out a career-high nine batters in the second game.

Kramer started in the circle for MSU in game two, pitching seven innings and striking out nine. She opened the game with back-to-back strikeouts, added one in the second, and again sent the first two batters back to the dugout in the third. Kramer struck out the final two in the fourth inning, stranding two runners on base, and posted two more strikeouts in the fifth.

Junior Kelly Confer pitched the final 2 1-3 innings, marking her first appearance since Feb. 28.

The Spartans fell 8-0 in six innings in game one, with hits coming from sophomore Lindsey Hansen, Kramer and freshman Ali Grant. Senior Megan Hair pitched the first game for the Green and White, recording a strikeout over five innings.

Series History
MSU and Bowling Green have previously met 20 times, with the Falcons leading the all-time series, 12-8. The two teams met twice last season. The Spartans posted a 6-2 win over Bowling Green at the Stetson Invitational, with Gina Mondo recording two homers in the game for MSU. The Falcons recorded a 2-1 win over MSU later in the season, with Traci Nicosia batting in the Spartans only run.

The Spartans hold a 20-3 all-time record against the Golden Grizzlies. Last season, MSU posted an 8-2 win and an 8-5 victory in a doubleheader against Oakland. Gina Mondo drove in five runs for the Spartans, while designated player Jessica LeFevre went a perfect 4-for-4 and scored five times in the two games. In the circle, Kelly Confer earned the win in game two after throwing six innings.

The Joseph Connection
MSU head coach Jacquie Joseph began her head coaching career at Bowling Green, coaching the Falcons for five years (1989-1993) before leaving for MSU. She compiled a 136-33 record in her five years, including a 34-18 record, first place finish in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 1993.

Scouting the Spartans
Michigan State stands at 14-24 overall with four Spartans batting over .300, including Gina Mondo (.396), Lauren Kramer (.356), Kara Weigle (.341) and Lindsey Hansen (.303). Weigle has a team-high 126 at-bats, 43 hits and 11 doubles through 38 games. Hansen leads the team in several categories including, runs (26), triples (3), home runs (10), RBI (24) and total bases (78).

Lauren Kramer and Megan Hair have appeared in 27 games for the Green and White. Hair has pitched 100 innings, striking out 48, while Kramer has 60 strikeouts in 91 1-3 innings.

Scouting the Falcons
Bowling Green split a doubleheader with Ohio on Saturday, posting a 6-4 in the first game and falling 2-0 in the second game. The Falcons notched 13 hits in the first game, and both senior Hayley Wiemer and junior Susan Sontag recorded two RBIs. Freshman Rachel Proehl leads the team with a .324 batting average, while Sontag is hitting .310. Wiemer posts a .304 average and leads the team with six homers and 19 RBI. Wiemer also leads the pitching staff with a 3.19 ERA and has struck out 109 batters in 30 appearances.

Scouting the Golden Grizzlies
Oakland is riding a four-game win streak after winning two of three games against Centenary College and sweeping a doubleheader against Rochester College. The Golden Grizzlies shutout Rochester College, 8-0 in the first game, and 7-0 in the nightcap. Freshman Brittany Doyle recorded her first collegiate win in game one after posting a no-hitter and striking out nine. Classmate Leah DiCristofaro went 2-for-3 in the second game and scored a team-high two RBIs. Senior Julie Owen leads Oakland with a .389 batting average and a team-high 24 RBIs, while classmate Jessica Granger has a 2.43 ERA and a 13-12 record.