Michigan State University
10-8
Florida International
14-8
Spartans Fall to FIU, 4-0, in Shortened Contest
3/1/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
East Lansing, Mich. -- In a time-shortened game, MSU struggled to find its offense and came out on the short end of a 4-0 decision against host Florida International. Since MSU's game against Ole Miss earlier in the day went more than three hours, the Spartans' second game only lasted five innings due to time restrictions. MSU is now 10-8 overall, posting a 2-2 record on the road this weekend.
MSU had just a pair of hits in the shortened contest, but one was by left fielder Alyssa McBride, extending her streak to 18 consecutive games reaching base safely as well as pushing her hitting streak to 11 straight games.
FIU plated runs in the first and second innings against freshman starter Bridgette Rainey. In the first, Rebekah Sanchez singled followed by a Ashley Leon bunt, putting the lead two runners on base. Rainey walked Stephanie Texeira to load the bases, and a balk sent Sanchez home for the first run of the game. Rainey worked out of the bases-loaded jam, however, limiting the FIU lead to a single run. In the second, Krystal Garcia led off with a single, she was sacrificed to second, and Ashley Belans followed with a single down the line that scored Garcia to double the Panthers' lead. Meanwhile, the Spartans left the bases loaded in the bottom of the first and stranded two more in the second, wasting a leadoff double by Destinee Luna.
In the third inning, FIU added two more runs to push their lead out to 4-0. Pinch hitter Dominiqe Grossman produced a one-out single to right, then stole second. After Rainey got the second out of the inning by getting Garcia to pop up to short, Alemia Lopez doubled to left scoring Grossman, at which point Valerie Kaff entered to replace Rainey. Belans came back to the plate and stroked her second hit of the day, doubling to center and scoring pinch runner Marissa McGregor for the 4-0 FIU lead. Kaff got Sanchez to strike out swinging to end the inning and the FIU threat.
In the bottom of the third, Stephanie Sanders worked a full-count walk with one out, but was extinguished at second as McKenzie Long grounded into a fielder's choice. Long was stranded on the basepaths as the pitcher Corinne Jenkins got Stoffer to fly out to left.
Kaff worked a quick top of the fourth, facing just four batters and throwing 12 total pitches, allowing only a single to right by Gabby Spallone, but the Spartans went down as quickly in the bottom of the frame, with a lone hit coming from the bat of Alyssa McBride to extend her hitting streak to 11 games. Dani Goranson came in to throw the fifth to relieve Kaff, getting a pair of infield groundouts as well as getting Garcia to foul out to Stoffer behind the plate. Jenkins worked an equally efficient fifth, recording a pair of strikeouts and an out in foul territory in left field.
The teams started play in the sixth inning, but with the 3:15 game curfew to allow the Spartans to catch their return flight to East Lansing, the game reverted to the last complete inning of play to make it a final 4-0 score.
Michigan State returns to Florida next weekend to begin Spring Break, playing four games at the University of Central Florida next weekend.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jenkins, Cor (7-6)
L: Rainey, Bridgette (1-2)
Batting:
2B: Lopez, Aleim 1 ; Belans, Ashl 2
RBI: Spallone, Ga 1 ; Lopez, Aleim 1 ; Belans, Ashl 2
SH: Lopez, Aleim 1
SF: Spallone, Ga 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sanchez, Reb 1 ; Grossman, Do 1 ; Garcia, Krys 1 ; McGregor, Ma 1 ; Belans, Ashl 1
SB: Sanchez, Reb 1 ; Texeira, Ste 1 ; Spallone, Ga 2 ; Grossman, Do 1 ; McGregor, Ma 1
Batting:
2B: Luna, Destinee 1
SH: Reiser, Jacquie 1
