Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State Events :: Official Athletic Site
May 17, 1997
MSU Finishes First-Ever Tournament Appearance with 1-2 Record
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Michigan State softball team (47-22) ended its successful season splitting two games Saturday afternoon at the NCAA Regional Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Spartan bats exploded for a 6-0 defeat of Cleveland State in the first game of the elimination bracket before Central Michigan came back from a 2-1 deficit in the sixth inning to eliminate MSU, 6-4, in the second game.
"The last game was the toughest. Give CMU credit, Tina Kinney was outstanding on the mound. They are a well-seasoned team," said MSU head coach Jacquie Joseph. "I am proud of the way our team fought. The Cleveland State win was huge for our program. I am proud of our seniors and their effort."
Senior pitcher Stacey Smith (Princeton Jct., N.J.) went the distance to earn her MSU-record 10th shutout of the season in the 6-0 win over Cleveland State. Smith (29-12) scattered five hits and struck out three in the victory, and was 1-for-2 at the plate with an RBI double. The Spartans combined for nine hits as they scored a run in every inning but the sixth. Freshman first baseman Stacey Phillips (St. Clair Shores) got the scoring started when she singled in Keri Lemasters (Canyon Country, Calif.) with two out in the first inning. Phillips went 3-for-4 on the day with an RBI and a run scored. Freshman left fielder Stephanie Giroux (Davisburg) also had a day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base.
In the second game, it was scoreless through four and a half innings before Central Michigan loaded the bases and Heather Nolan flied to left field to score a runner. The Spartans answered when Phillips blasted a two-run homerun to left field to put MSU up 2-1 in the top of the sixth. In the bottom of the inning, CMU took command scoring five runs on five hits to put the game virtually out of reach, 6-2, after six innings. Michigan State made a heartfelt comeback in the seventh on Girouxis two-run single with two out, but still fell short, 6-4. Tina Kinney got Centralis complete-game win on the mound, while Spartan pitcher Stefanie Noffsinger (Huntington Beach, Calif.) got the loss in five innings of duty. Noffsinger struck out six batters while giving up four hits.
"I think we have established a minimum at Michigan State University," Joseph said about this season. "We have done what no other team in the history of the University has done. I also know my team is not satisfied and I hope we will be a force to be reckoned with in this state and this region for a long time."
Michigan State finished its best campaign in history with a 1-2 record at the NCAA Regional Championships. Michigan will face Central Michigan in the Regional Championship match Sunday afternoon in Ann Arbor at 1 p.m. If Michigan wins, it will advance to the World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla. If Central Michigan wins, the two teams will play again to determine who advances due to the double-elimination format.
Central Michigan 6, Michigan State 4
Michigan State 000 002 2 - 4 6 1 Central Michigan 000 015 x - 6 8 2
MSU: Stefanie Noffsinger, Jacqueline Hall (6) and Molly Hugan; CM: Tina Kinney and Meme Colla.
WP: Tina Kinney (20-10); LP: Stefanie Noffsinger (5-5).
2B: Carrie Fry (MSU) Nicole Weston (2, CM).
HR: Stacey Phillips (MSU).