Friday, April 19, 2024

Spartans continue to sputter

April 26, 2004
Senior Brittney Green, who plays third base, slides safely under the tag of Purdue catcher Erika Peterson for the first run of the game on Friday. —

Down by five at the top of the seventh inning Sunday, with one out and the bases loaded, the MSU softball team was hoping to pull off an upset against Indiana.

Up to bat was senior third base Brittney Green, wanting to be the hero again after hitting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning in the first game of the afternoon's doubleheader.

Green faced Megan Roark, the same Purdue pitcher in the second game as she did in game one, when she hit her fifth home run on the year.

But this time, Roark struck out Green and then sophomore catcher Elizabeth Peterson to hang on for an 8-3 Hoosiers win.

"We continually have inconsistencies in our performances," MSU head coach Jacquie Joseph said. "I thought my team was mentally weak."

The Spartans took the first outing, 6-4, on Green's homer, which chased in senior first base Nat Furrow.

As she went up to bat, Green said she was thinking of "hitting the ball every which way" she could.

"I was pleased with the way we pitched in that game and being able to hang in there and actually end up winning the game," Joseph said. "It was important to get the good pitching performance we had."

Senior pitcher Jessica Beech, coming off a 3-0 shutout victory over Purdue on Saturday, worked all 10 innings in Sunday's first game to earn the win. She allowed six hits on four runs, walked one and struck out nine Hoosiers. She also had a home run and three RBI.

Beech also pitched to four batters in the second inning of the second game in relief of freshman Christy McGrew.

She shrugged off questions of being worn out following the doubleheader.

"I'll be tired tomorrow, but we try to stay in shape enough to throw two games in a day - it wasn't too bad," Beech said. "Defense, offense - everything went well the first game, we just got lazy in the second."

McGrew pitched the second game, but was replaced by Beech in the second inning, after giving up five runs on four hits, striking out one.

Freshman Jackie Noble pitched the rest of the game after replacing Beech, who allowed three runs on three hits. Noble allowed just three hits.

MSU finished .500 through the four-game weekend, winning a Friday contest, 3-0, against Purdue, but losing to the Boilermakers, 11-1, on Saturday.

The Spartans collected just two hits during Saturday's contest, the Spartans' first mercy ruling of the season.

The Spartans (26-21, 6-10 Big Ten) next face Eastern Michigan at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Old College Field before a two-game set against Michigan, the current leader of the Big Ten.

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