April 17, 2008

PDF of Complete Game Notes and Stats

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State returns to Old College Field for an eventful weekend in East Lansing. The Spartans host Purdue on Friday and Saturday (April 18-19) with games at 4 p.m. and 12 p.m., respectively. Saturday's game is a part of the campus-wide festivity, "Spartan Saturday." There will be no charge for the softball, baseball and football games on campus, as MSU encourages fans to wear green, not spend green.

On Sunday, April 20, Indiana comes to town for a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m., and Michigan State's six seniors will be recognized and honored prior to game one. Ceremonies will be at 11:40 a.m.

All three teams are coming off of losses, and looking to rebound with conference wins this weekend. Purdue leads this weekend's teams as the fourth-place program in the Big Ten standings with its 5-3 record, while Michigan State is just a spot below, tying for fifth with Minnesota, with a 5-5 mark. Indiana currently sits in 10th place, going 2-8 so far this season.

MICHIGAN STATE SCOUTING REPORT
The Spartans look to rebound from Wednesday's tough loss at Central Michigan. Michigan State struggled early to confine the Chippewas' offense, as CMU held on to take the 3-2 contest in Mt. Pleasant.

Bianca Mejia cranked a solo home run against the Chippewas, and now leads the team with seven. Senior outfielder Nikki Nicosia, who currently averages .399 at the plate, leads the nation with .23 triples a game. Nicosia accounts for nine of MSU's 15 triples this season, and with 15 career triples, Nicosia has the second most in program history.

Three other Spartans are batting above .300, including Gina Mondo (.368), Bianca Mejia (.353), and Jessica LeFevre (.314). As a team, the Spartans are batting .287, which is third in the Big Ten.

In the circle, the Spartans rely heavily on senior ace Lesley Noel, though sophomore Kelly Confer and freshman Shae Bass have contributed greatly in recent games. While Noel paces MSU with 106 strikeouts, Confer has a team-best 1.93 ERA in 25.1 innings. And along with junior hurler Megan Hair, MSU allows only 2.69 runs on average per game

SCOUTING THE BOILERMAKERS
Purdue is looking to get back on the winning track after splitting a Tuesday doubleheader with Valparaiso and falling to Ball State on Wednesday.

Five Boilermakers are batting .300 or better led by junior shortstop Candace Curtis (.358). Junior second baseman Kelly Miller (.353), senior third baseman Ashley Hall (.330), sophomore infielder Kelsey Haupert (.325) and junior infi elder Katie Mitchell (.303) round out the group. Curtis leads the team with 32 RBI and eight home runs. The Boilermakers are batting .277 as a team with 80 extra-base hits and 25 stolen bases.

In the circle, junior Dana Alcocer (16-8) has struck out 106 batters in 151 innings, while tossing 12 complete games, including three shutouts. Freshman Suzie Rzegocki (12-5) has recorded 79 strikeouts in eight complete games, three shutouts and three saves. Junior Ashley DiDomenico (1-0) and sophomores Sarah Killer and Kaity Stratten also have seen action.

SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS
The Hoosiers will look to regain the momentum they had following a split at home with the Ohio State Buckeyes when they head to Northwestern and Michigan State this weekend.

Indiana sits in 10th place in the Big Ten entering play this weekend and is looking to move up into the top eight to qualify for the Big Ten Tournament at the end of the season. The Hoosiers are tied with Wisconsin in the win column and are one win behind Illinois. Northwestern is tied with Michigan in the loss column with one.

LAST TIME OUT
The Michigan State softball team fell just short to Central Michigan, 3-2, Wednesday afternoon at the CMU Softball Complex. Senior pitcher Lesley Noel entered the circle in the bottom of the fourth inning with a potential run on first, while CMU led 3-2. The Spartans retired the next nine straight batters, giving the Spartans a chance to comeback in the top of the seventh. But with the bases loaded, a pop fly in the infield ended the game and gave the Chippewas a 3-2 win.

In the Spartans' last Big Ten weekend at Iowa and Illinois, Nikki Nicosia put on a spectacular display from the plate, cranking out three triples and a home run, while Caitlin Mahoney paced the team batting .500. Four Spartans went yard, including Mahoney, Bianca Mejia and Gina Mondo - who hit two three-run dingers against Illinois in game two.