The MSU softball team looks to break its losing streak with a rematch against Oakland.
The Spartans (20-25 overall, 3-7 Big Ten) defeated the Grizzlies 2-1 at Old College Field on April 3. Round two is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. today at OU Softball Complex in Rochester.
Prior to their last meeting, MSU had won its first Big Ten contest of the season, which turned out to be the start of a season-high nine-game winning streak.
But the streak abruptly came to an end with a four-game skid. The Spartans are hoping another game with Oakland (15-28-1, 7-5 Mid-Continent Conference) can again ignite an MSU winning streak.
“I think they’re going to be very charged up,” Spartan head coach Jaquie Joseph said. “I think they felt like they had a chance to win, and they did.
“I expect a hard-fought battle.”
When the team last met, it took a wild pitch to score sophomore pitcher Jessica Beech for the winning run.
“It will be tough,” Beech said. “They’ll have some built up energy, but we’re going to play our best.”
The Spartans can look to their 7-2 road record for support.
Joseph said she believes the short road trip will help the team focus and return to its winning ways.
“I’m looking forward to going on the road,” Joseph said. “I think that we have a lot more focus on the road. Maybe we’ll be able to bounce out of the slump we’re in right now offensively.”
In the last four games, the Spartans have scored just one run and batted .156 as a team. During the nine-game winning streak, MSU averaged 7.6 runs per game and batted .381 as a team.
“We need to get back on track,” senior pitcher Becky Gray said. “We’re not out of placing in the Big Ten Tournament yet. We can compete with any team we play.”
