Michigan State University
Northwestern
Spartans Suffer Doubleheader Sweep At No. 8 Northwestern
4/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 1, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Michigan State softball team (18-16, 0-2 Big Ten) dropped an 11-3 decision to No. 8 Northwestern (27-7, 3-1 Big Ten) in its 2007 Big Ten Opener in game one of the conference doubleheader on Sunday. After a lengthy three hour rain delay, Northwestern completed the sweep with an 8-3 victory in game two which ended in six innings due to darkness.
Lesley Noel (3-2) earned the start in game one versus the Wildcats, allowing seven hits and six earned runs (3.1 innings) in the loss. Rachel Turney allowed three hits and five earned runs, while walking four in 1.0 innings of relief.
Eileen Canney earned the victory in the circle for the Wildcats, improving to 14-7 for the year.
Jessica LeFevre led the Spartans with two hits, while Traci Nicosia added one hit and one RBI, and Caitlin Mahoney contributed one hit, one run and two RBI.
MSU took an early 1-0 advantage in the opening frame on a Traci Nicosia two-out single. Northwestern answered in the bottom half of the inning, scoring four runs behind back-to-back singles by Garland Cooper and Nicole Pauley, and a Spartan miscue in the field.
Cooper scored the fifth Wildcat run in the bottom half of the third on her league-leading 12th home run of the season, and Jessica Rigas added a two-out solo shot over the center field fence to extend the lead to 6-1.
Turney relieved Noel in the fourth with one out and a runner on first. She hit NU shortstop Tammy Williams and walked Cooper to load the bases, but earned back-to-back strikeouts to hold the Northwestern lead at 6-1.
Darhower led off the fifth with a walk, and Mahoney followed with a two-run homer to left field to pull the Spartans within three at 6-3. Mahoney's blast was her fourth of the season. State threatened again with one out in the frame, as Nikki Nicosia walked and Jessica LeFevre reached on and infield single. Weigle advanced the runners to second and third with a groundout to the Wildcat shortstop, but Canney halted the threat with her fourth strikeout of the contest to end the inning.
With no outs and the bases loaded in the Wildcat fifth, third baseman Darcy Sengewald hit an RBI bloop single to right field to push the lead to 7-4. Turney struckout center fielder Katie Logan, but Williams and Cooper followed with consecutive bases-loaded walks and Pauly hit a two-run single to center to close the 11-3 run-rule victory.
MSU scored three runs on four hits in game one, while the Wildcats tallied 11 runs on 10 hits.
Megan Hair (7-7) suffered the loss for the Spartans in game two, allowing four earned runs and three hits. Mahoney led MSU with two hits, while Feenstra added a game-best two RBI.
Lauren Delaney earned the victory in the circle for the Wildcats, improving to an impressive 13-0 for the year.
Katie Logan led off game two for the Wildcats with a home run to right field for an early 1-0 lead. Williams followed with a single to right, and Cooper walked, putting runners on first and second for Pauley at the plate. She tallied her fourth home run of the season, a three-run shot to center field for a 4-0 NU lead.
State threatened in the bottom half of the frame with the bases loaded and one out after a LeFevre single and two hit batters. Dayna Feenstra laced a two-run single to left center, scoring LeFevre and Weigle to pull within two of the Wildcat lead.
Mahoney tallied a lead-off double to the center field wall in the fourth and scored on an error by the Wildcat second baseman to close the NU lead at 4-3. Northwestern answered in the bottom half of the frame, as Williams hit a solo home run to right center and Pauley and Erin Dyer recorded back-to-back solo shots to right field, extending the lead to 7-3. Aly Euler scored the fourth Wildcat run of the inning for a dominating 8-3 upperhand.
MSU failed to score the remaining two innings, as NU clinched the sweep with an 8-3 win.
Michigan State travels to Detroit on Tuesday for a non-conference doubleheader against the Titans. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
