Spartans Sweep Badgers
April 13, 2003 | Softball
The Wisconsin softball team dropped both games of its double header versus Michigan State Sunday afternoon at the Goodman Diamond in Madison, Wis. The Badgers (13-20, 2-8 Big Ten) fell 4-0 and 4-1 in just their third and fourth home games of the season.
Game one was a pitchers' duel through six innings. Mandy Liles, who reached second on a stolen base, was the only batter on both teams to pass first base safely through four innings. MSU's Tiffany Wallace tried to leg out a double in the fourth, but Liles gunned her down at second from center field.
The Badgers escaped a jam in the fifth inning after Lacy Hauxhurst led off the inning with a double and Jessica Beech set down a bunt single. With no outs, Janette Hurtado followed with a single, but Hauxhurst was caught at third by Liles ' throw from the outfield. Another out was recorded at third on Angel Merren 's grounder and Brittney Green popped out to end the inning.
MSU got on the board scoring all four runs in the top of the seventh with three singles and back-to-back doubles.
Sophomore Natalie Phillips recorded the Badgers' two lone hits in game one in a 2-for-2 effort at the plate. It was the third two-hit game of her UW career and second this season. Phillips ranks second on the team with a .300 batting average in Big Ten games.
In game two, the Badgers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. With one out in the second, Emily Friedman was hit by a pitch and the call was questioned by MSU. After an umpire's conference, Friedman was ruled hit and stayed at first. Diana Consolmagno singled to centerfield to put runners on first and second for Erin Barnharst.
With two outs, Barnharst drilled a hit into left field, her first of three hits on the day. Friedman scored and Barnharst tallied her team-high 13th RBI. Barnharst was 3-for-3 in game two, recording the eighth three-hit game for a Badger this season and Barnharst's first.
Sophomore Katie Layne retired the first eight batters she faced in game two, but Michigan State rallied with two outs in the bottom of the third inning. Margaret Schick singled and scored on Green's single. Beech followed with a line drive home run that just cleared the fence to give MSU a 3-1 lead. Layne pitched well in innings four and five but a single, stolen base and bunt led to another Spartan run in the sixth. Layne struck out three in her fourth complete game of the year.
The Badgers, who have played 29 games on the road this year, travel again this weekend to Illinois. UW faces Illinois-Chicago Thursday, Northwestern on Friday and Saturday and Illinois on Sunday.
