Musillo's One-Hitter Helps FAU Split Doubleheader

Saturday, April 28

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

4:00 PM

Florida Atlantic

Middle Tennessee

4/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball

April 28, 2007

Box Score

MURFREESBORO, TN - Jen Musillo threw a one-hitter to take a 2-1 win in game one but the Florida Atlantic University softball team could only muster a doubleheader split as Middle Tennessee State rallied late in game two for a 5-2 decision at Blue Raider Field on Saturday.

Musillo (18-10) struck out seven and walked five but only allowed an infield single off her glove in the Owls' 2-1 win. Three of the five walks came in the third, along with a throwing error by Musillo, to produce MTSU's only run in game one.

FAU got a run in the first thanks to a double by Jenna Lopez and a single by Mandie Fishback and a run in the fourth thanks to a two-out triple by Blair Bodenmiller and an RBI single by Becky Brandies.

It was the eighth-consecutive win by Musillo, who picked up the win in the fourth-consecutive game for FAU.

In game two, the Blue Raiders got to Kathryn Stauffer early, when Corrie Abel hit her first pitch over the right field fence for a home run. MTSU would add another run on a throwing error by Stauffer, giving MTSU a 2-0 lead after one inning.

The Owls clawed back to a tie, thanks to a single by Melissa Moore, who took second on a fielding error and moved up to third on a ground ball by Annie Voyles. Moore would score on an RBI single by Brandies, who collected four hits and two RBI on the day.

Fishback continued to swing a hot bat with a solo home run leading off the fourth to tie the game at two, but the Owls would be shut down the rest of the way. After a two-out single by Brandies in the fifth, the final seven Owl batters would be retired.

MTSU went ahead with a three-run double off the bat of the no. 9 batter Justine Cerda. After a leadoff double to start the inning, Musillo would come out of the bull pen to take over for Amber Barton who relieved Stauffer to start the second, but would hit a pair of batters and narrowly missed getting an inning-ending double play, before Cerda's bases-loaded double.

Barton (4-7) took the loss, allowing four hits and a walk while striking out two in four-plus innings of work. She left after giving up a leadoff double in the sixth to Martha Davis, who would score the go-ahead run.

The Owls (32-22, 12-8 SBC) are a half-game back of MTSU for second in the conference standings, with the third game of a three-game set scheduled for tomorrow at 1 p.m. FAU is 1 ½ games back of first-place Troy.