Michigan State University Athletics
Softball Travels To Minnesota For Two Games
4/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 24, 2009
Spartan Sports Podcasts
Mealnie Jacquie
Live Streaming
This weekend's games against Minnesota will be live streamed through the Big Ten Network's website at www.bigtennetwork.com.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State softball team travels to Minneapolis for a two-game series with the Golden Gophers this weekend. Games start at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday.
Minnesota is coming off a doubleheader split with Wisconsin on Wednesday, posting a 4-0 win in the first game and falling 2-1 in the nightcap. Senior Briana Hassett gave up just one hit and posted nine strikeouts in her 14th shutout of the season, tying the school record. Senior Shannon Stemper led Minnesota in the first game, notching a team-high two RBIs, while freshman Sammie Howard put the Golden Gophers ahead in the first inning of the second game with her first career home run
Sophomore Malisa Barnes is batting a team-best .340 through 150 at-bats, while senior Colleen Conway is hitting .286 after a team-high 168 at-bats. Both have started all 49 of Minnesota's games. Barnes leads the team with 24 runs, 51 hits and 25 RBIs. Hassett leads the pitching staff with a 22-19 record and 1.82 ERA. She has 371 strikeouts through 265 innings. Hassett ranks first in the Big Ten in innings pitched and batters struck out.
LAST TIME OUT
MSU split a doubleheader with Oakland on Thursday afternoon at Old College Field. MSU posted a 5-1 win in game one, and fell 4-3 in eight innings in the nightcap. Sophomore Lindsey Hansen notched three RBIs in the first game, and freshman Lauren Kramer recorded 12 strikeouts through the two games.
In game one, the Spartans opened the scoring in the third, taking a 1-0 lead. Freshman Lori Padilla notched her first career double to right center and advanced to third on a sacrifice fly from Weigle. Hansen then hit a sharp ball that went off the end of the Oakland pitcher's glove, scoring Padilla for her first RBI of the day. In the fourth inning, MSU added to its lead as freshman Brett Williams crushed a ball to right center, her second in as many games.
MSU added two more runs in the fifth to take a 4-0 advantage. Hansen hit a single up the middle, just past second base to score two runs with two outs. In the sixth inning, Bensema ripped a triple to right center and scored on a throwing error, making it 5-0 in favor of MSU.
Junior Kelly Confer replaced Kramer in the seventh, pitching the final inning and giving up one run and striking out three of the five batters she faced. Kramer held Oakland to just three hits and did not allow a walk through six scoreless innings, while striking out eight. Oakland did score a run in the seventh off a triple by Marisa Everitt to break up the shutout.
Michigan State struck early in the second game, scoring two runs in the first inning. With two outs, Hansen hit a single just over third base into left field and stole second. Senior Gina Mondo, who returned to the lineup for the first time since April 1, drew a walk. Williams then hit the ball to the warning track in right center for a stand up double, scoring both Hansen and Mondo. Weigle notched a homer to right center on the first pitch of the third inning, her fourth of the season, to put MSU up 3-0.
The Golden Grizzlies recorded three runs on three hits in the fifth inning to tie the game. Oakland secured the win in the eighth inning off a solo home run to left field from Owen. Senior Megan Hair started in the circle for MSU, pitching 4 2-3 innings and posting four strike outs. Kramer pitched the final 3 1-3 innings, striking out four of the 12 batters she faced.
SENIOR LEADERS
All three Spartan seniors have been critical components of the MSU lineup.
Gina Mondo, who starts at second base, recently returned to the lineup after a three week absence. She leads the team .398 average, .653 slugging percentage and is 9-for-9 in stolen bases. Mondo played in game two of the Oakland doubleheader for the first time since April 1, going 1-for-2 with a double and a walk.
Behind the plate is Kara Weigle, who has started all 41 games for MSU. She has a .338 batting average with a team-leading 136 at-bats, 46 hits, 13 doubles and 10 sacrifice hits. Weigle notched two doubles and a home run in the last three games. She has 29 doubles in her career, just two short of breaking in the top 10 on MSU's all time doubles list.
Megan Hair has appeared in 28 games for the Green and White, starting 18 games, and pitching four complete games. She leads the team with three saves, and ranks 13th in the nation in the category.
BIG TEN STATS
The Spartans rank sixth in the Big Ten in batting average, third in slugging percentage, hits, doubles and home runs, while leading the conference in triples. Several players are also ranked in various categories. Kara Weigle ranks first in doubles (13), while Megan Hair is second in saves (3). Lindsey Hansen is second in triples (3), fifth in home runs (10) and sixth in slugging percentage (.621). Lauren Kramer ranks eighth in both batting average (.349) and on base percentage (.441).
GOING YARD
The Spartans have notched 38 home runs through 41 games this season, the second most homers in a single season. Sophomore Lindsey Hansen leads the team with 10, while senior Gina Mondo has five. To date, 10 of the 12 Spartans that have entered the batters box this season have hit two or more home runs.
Mondo ranks fifth on MSU's all-time home runs list with 18 in her career, while two other Spartans recently made the list - Kara Weigle and Hansen. Weigle has 13 thus far in her career, and Hansen made the list after hitting a solo home run against Northwestern. After hitting just one homer last season, she has 10 this season, tying for ninth on the all-time list.
MSU tallied three homers against Bowling Green on Tuesday and added two in a doubleheader with Oakland Thursday. Freshman Brett Williams posted two home runs in as many games, while Ali Grant, Kelly Confer and Weigle each notched one in the three game span.
HOLDING DOWN THE CIRCLE
Freshman Lauren Kramer, the Spartans' only left-handed pitcher, has recently hit her stride. Through the last five games, she has pitched 21 1-3 innings, recording a 0.98 ERA. She allowed just three runs and one walk while posting a 2-1 record. Kramer tallied her first career shut out on Tuesday, April 21 in an 8-0 win over Bowling Green in five innings. In the last three games, Kramer has allowed just one run in 14 1-3 innings. She has struck out 19 and has not allowed a walk.
FRESHMEN FENOMS
Several of MSU's freshmen have recently emerged both offensively and defensively. Ali Grant totaled four hits, including her fourth home run of the season in the last three games, while Melanie Bensema recorded two doubles and her first career triple. Brett Williams is currently riding a three-game hit streak and has notched a double, two homers and a team-high five RBIs in that span. Lori Padilla has also shined, posting her first career double against Oakland on Thursday. All have also started in defensive positions and have not committed an error in the last three games.
