Michigan State University
4-1
Akron
2-3
Spartans Fall to Akron, 4-2
2/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
<>DeLand, Florida -- Akron pitcher Erin Seiler threw a complete game, striking out 10 as the Zips halted Michigan State's four-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory on Sunday morning in DeLand, Florida. MSU did manage seven hits, including two each from freshman Lea Foerster and junior Jacquie Reiser, and used all four pitchers on staff in the first loss of the 2015 season.
"We just didn't get the timely hits - we left 10 runners on base today," said head coach Jacquie Joseph. "We did a lot of what we wanted to do this weekend in terms of trying different lineups and combinations, and it's given us a good base of knowledge on the areas that we have to continue to work on. We'll continue to be a work in progress."
The Spartans used 16 players in Sunday's contest, going to the bench throughout for pinch hitters and defensive changes. Sarah Gutknecht led off the game with a double that kissed the third baseman's glove and shot up the left-field line, and Foerster laid down a beautiful bunt single that moved Gutknecht to third. Stephanie Sanders reached on an error by the shortstop, loading the bases. Seiler got Kassidy Kujawa looking for the first out of the inning, then got Destinee Luna to ground into a fielder's choice, nipping Gutknecht at home to leave the bases loaded with two outs. Seiler then walked both Thomas and McBride to plate two runs, but got Stoffer on a strikeout to end the inning.
The Zips got one run in the bottom of the inning on an attempted double steal with two outs, plating the runner from third before a rundown between first and second was the third out of the inning.
Reiser led off the second with a sharp-hit ball up the middle that went through the legs of the pitcher and into center field for a leadoff single, and Gutknecht was robbed of a base hit by a spectacular catch in center, sending Reiser back to first. Foerster delivered a ground ball to second, and Reiser was called out on interference for the second out. On a full count, Sanders went down swinging to end the inning.
The Zips took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the second. After a leadoff single by McKenzie Rhodes, she was sacrificed to second by Richards, and then Savannah Fruin hit a 1-0 pitch over the right field wall for her second homer of the weekend. Sara Pierson followed with a single to left, at which point Rainey was replaced in the circle by Dani Goranson. Goranson got the first out on a groundout, then got Kellie Roudabush to pop out for the final out of the inning. It was the first time the Spartans had trailed all weekend, as they headed to the plate in the top of the third with a 3-2 deficit.
MSU quickly went to work to try to get the run back, but left a pair of runners on base in each the third and fourth innings. Thomas hit a long single to left, then McBride reached on a fielding error by the catcher to put a pair of runners on base with two out in the third, but Stoffer grounded back to the pitcher to end the inning. In the fourth, Reiser led off with a single to left, and was sacrificed to second by Gutknecht. Foerster then reached on a five-pitch walk, but Sanders struck out and pinch hitter McKenzie Long popped up.
Zalewski came in to relieve Goranson with one on in the fourth, after she had thrown 40 pitches (28 for strikes) in 1.2 innings. She quickly got Richards swinging for the first out. Fruin sacrificed Rhodes, who had reached on a two-base error, over to third, and Pearson followed with a single to left, plating Rhodes for a 4-2 lead. She got Gambone to pop out for the third out of the inning.
The teams went fairly quietly until the bottom of the sixth. Zalewski walked the leadoff batter Rhodes, and Kaff relieved her in the circle. Kaff got her first batter, Richards, to strike out, but she then surrendered a single to Fruin. The runners advanced as Kaff walked Pearson on a full count, loading the bases; she then struck out Gillespie on three straight pitches, and Long made a nice catch at short to end the inning, leaving the bases full.
Needing a rally in their final at-bat, MSU got a leadoff single into left by Foerster, and after Sydney Heath flew out to center, Kassidy Kujawa delivered a stand-up double into right that moved Foerster to third. Seiler struck out Freimuth and Thomas to get out of the inning, and the Spartans fell for the first time in 2015.
Kristina Zalewski (2-1, 1 sv, 0.00 ERA in four appearances) and Sarah Gutknecht (7-for-15, .467, 2B, hR, 4 RBI) were named to the All-Tournament Team.
MSU will head back to Florida next weekend, and will play at the Florida Atlantic tournament in Boca Raton, Florida.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: SEILER, Erin (2-1)
L: Rainey, Bridgette (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Gutknecht, Sarah 1 ; Kujawa, Kassidy 1
RBI: Thomas, Shanin 1 ; McBride, Alyssa 1
SH: Gutknecht, Sarah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Foerster, Lea 1 ; Sanders, Stephanie 1
SB: Foerster, Lea 2
Batting:
HR: FRUIN, Savannah 1
RBI: FRUIN, Savannah 2 ; PEARSON, Sara 1
SH: ALLMON, Taryn 2 ; RICHARDS 1 ; FRUIN, Savannah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: ROUDABUSH, Kellie 1 ; RHODES, McKenzi 1 ; SCHLOSSER, Kayla 1 ; FRUIN, Savannah 1
SB: ROUDABUSH, Kellie 1
CS: NICHOLAS, Alyssa 1
HBP: NICHOLAS, Alyssa 1
