Friday, March 29, 2024

WEB EXTRA: MSU softball team takes 2 games from IPFW

April 19, 2007
Senior infielder Dayna Feenstra slides into second base during a game against IPFW on Wednesday at Old College Field. MSU won, 12-0. —

Wednesday's doubleheader against Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne was just what the doctor ordered for the MSU softball team.

The Spartans, on a four game losing streak, jumped on the Mastadons from start to finish, sweeping the twin bill 12-0 in four and a half innings and 8-0 at Old College Field.

"I'm thrilled that we played and I'm thrilled that we got to play at home," MSU head coach Jacquie Joseph said. "We did what we needed to do today. I thought we played to our ability today."

Junior pitcher Lesley Noel, backed by 12 hits from her offense, pitched a no-hitter — the team's third of the season and the 21st in program history while junior Gina Mondo had two home runs and nine RBI between the two games.

"I was happy for Lesley," Joseph said. "She threw a ton of innings over the weekend and for her to come back and throw a no-hitter, I was really proud of her and I'm happy for her."

IPFW didn't do itself any favors, committing five errors in game one, a number that could have easily had three more tacked on to it. IPFW's pitcher, Jenna Connelly, allowed all 12 runs, but only four were earned.

The Spartans scored four times in the second and then scored five times in the fourth, paced by a 3-run home run by Mondo.

Noel didn't need much else to shut down IPFW, recording four strikeouts with two walks and inducing the Mastadons into eight groundouts.

"It feels really good," Noel said. "It was a team effort. They played behind me and it was just a really good game. We just have to keep it going."

Things went slightly better for IPFW in the second game, as its defense committed two errors in the second game, but could still not get anything going on offense.

The Spartans took a 2-0 on RBI singles in the second and fourth innings and extended the lead out to 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single by junior centerfielder Nikki Nicosia.

But MSU broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth, as Mondo struck again. IPFW put the first three batters on base with a hit by pitch and two walks before Mondo belted a grand slam over the centerfield wall to extend MSU's lead to 7-0.

"That's the player I recruited," Joseph said of Mondo. "I just haven't seen her until now. I hope it continues."

After the next three runners reached, sophomore Kara Weigle came up and hit a sacrifice fly to left field that ended the game, 8-0, via the mercy rule.

MSU's will head to Indiana for a two-game series Friday and Saturday, and then head to Purdue for a Sunday doubleheader.

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