Michigan State University
Coastal Carolina
Spartans Shutout Coastal Carolina, 8-0, in Six Innings
3/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 8, 2008
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Scoring runs in the second, third, fifth and six innings, Michigan State softball (9-9) picked up its fifth-straight win Saturday night with a six-inning 8-0 win over Coastal Carolina (5-16) at the USF/Under Armour Invitational at the Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex in Clearwater, Fla. The Spartans remain undefeated, 9-0, in games played in Florida this season.
"We seem to be a little bit of a roll," said head coach Jacquie Joseph. "And I think we got to the point where we got sick and tired of being sick and tired. I really think that's brought us out of the slump. And now I'm not concerned about repeating our past mistakes because our experience keeps us out of that trap."
Freshmen pinch hitter Lindsey Hansen and right fielder Jessica Bracamonte each picked up a pair of RBI in the shutout, while junior second baseman Gina Mondo led the Spartans with three hits. Since the Spartans opened their five-game winning streak, Mondo has produced a .474 batting average with nine hits, two doubles, one home run and eight RBI in the last five games.
Senior hurler Lesley Noel pitched her second consecutive complete game - ninth of the year - allowing just three hits against 21 batters, while striking out five Chanticleers.
Caitlin Mahoney got things started for MSU with a single up the middle on the 0-2 count, and Karen Fox came in to pinch run. After Fox advanced to second on a wild pitch, Mondo singled, allowing Fox to move to third. Traci Nicosia came up with a sacrifice fly to right field, which bumped Fox home for the Spartans' first run. Mondo continued to move around the diamond, stealing two bases on consecutive at bats. She took second and third with speed, but managed to score on an error during the second steal, taking the Spartans to a 2-0 lead.
With Jessica LeFevre on second - she walked and took second base on a catcher's error - Heidi Purtzer singled to push LeFevre to third. And Bracamonte tallied her first RBI on the next at bat with a ground ball to the pitcher.
Coastal Carolina ended the second inning down 3-0, but couldn't get a hit in the third so MSU went back to work at the plate, and a two-run third inning gave the Spartans a 5-0 lead. Hansen's single shot up the middle drove in both runs, as Mondo and Mahoney tagged the dish before the Chants could stop the damage.
A scoreless fourth lead to a two-run fifth inning, as a Bracamonte single advanced Mondo home. Nikki Nicosia forced a fielding error by the first baseman with two outs, allowing Purtzer to score from third.
Needing just one run in the sixth to run-rule Coastal Carolina, freshman Bianca Mejia opened the inning with a single to center field. Next Mahoney's shot to the first baseman forced a throwing error, which gave Mejia enough time to round the bags and score the game-ending run.
The quick outs in the bottom of the sixth wrapped up the game, as Michigan State evened it's record heading into the final two games of South Florida's tournament.
MSU faces Illinois-Chicago Sunday at 9 a.m. and Hofstra at 1:30 p.m. to finish the weekend.
