Late Rally Boosts Gophers, 8-4

April 17, 2015

East Lansing, Mich. -- Michigan State fell to No. 13 Minnesota on Friday in the first of three games between the teams, as the Gophers staged a late rally to post an 8-4 victory.

A 3-3 ballgame was blown open by the Gophers in the top of the seventh, on a triple, two singles, and a pair of home runs. The Spartans and their visitors had been involved in a chess match over the first three innings, as both starting pitchers kept things in control. Bridget Rainey earned her sixth start in the last eight games, scattering seven hits and striking out three before making way for Kristina Zalewski, who faced three batters and gave up the critical single and pair of homers that turned the tie ballgame into a four-run lead for the Gophers. Rainey re-entered and allowed one hit and one run, but got out of the inning with the bases loaded to limit the damage. Rainey finished with seven innings pitched, five strikeouts, and five earned runs.

Minnesota ace Sarah Groenewegen, who brought a 21-4 record and 1.59 ERA into the game, went 4.2 innings, striking out eight, and allowing just four hits, but was touched up by the Spartans for three runs. She was relieved by Nikki Anderson who shut the door with 2.1 innings, sending down the side in order in the sixth, before allowing MSU's fourth and final run on a Kassidy Kujawa two-out home run.

Both Stephanie Sanders and Kujawa homered for MSU (16-27), which dropped it's 10th straight game. Lea Foerster was a home run shy of the cycle, getting a single, double, and triple for her second multiple-hit game this week.

Minnesota threatened with runners at the corners and one out in the second, as Taylor LeMay doubled to left and Erica Meyer singled to move her to third. Paige Palkovich walked to load the bases, and Tyler Walker doubled to score two to give the Gophers a 2-0 lead. Bridgette Rainey walked Sam Macken to re-load the bases, but got Kaitlyn Richardson swinging for a big second out in the frame. That brought up the pitcher Sarah Groenewegen, who quickly fell behind on an 0-2 count; worked it to 2-2, but after two more pitches fouled off, Rainey got her to go down swinging.

In the bottom of the third, Alyssa McBride led off with a walk, and moved to third on a throwing error by Gronewegen as the pitcher tried to double her off first after Shanin Thomas lined out to the circle. Foerster followed with a triple - her second extra-base hit of the day - to score McBride and make it a 2-1 ballgame. Stephanie Sanders followed her to the plate and belted her fifth home run of the season, and second of the week, off the scoreboard in left field. McKenzie Long was rung up looking at a called third strike for Groenewegen to get out of the inning.

In the top of the fourth, Macken hit a one-out single to shallow right, and she advanced to third when Ellie Stoffer's throw down to second on Macken's stolen base attempt squirted into center field. Rainey walked pinch hitter Erika Smyth to put runners on the corners with one out. Groenewegen grounded into a fielder's choice, as Jacquie Reiser threw home to get Macken and save a run from scoring. That left runners at the corner for Parlich, who Rainey enticed into a ground out to second to end the inning and get the Spartans out of the jam.

With McBride on and two outs, Foerster came up with her third hit of the day, a single to left, to put a pair of runners on for Stephanie Sanders. That signaled a pitching change for the Gophers, as Nikki Anderson came in to relieve Groenewegen and walked Sanders on five pitches, bringing Long to the plate with the bases loaded. She got Long to strike out at a pitch on the corner, ending the Spartan threat.

The top of the order came to the plate for the top of the sixth, as Tyler Walker led off with a bloop single to shallow right. Macken followed with a triple up the right-field line, scoring Walker to knot the game at three. Pinch hitter Hannah Melick came in to hit for Richardson, and hit a shot to left field - but Kujawa made her third impressive catch of the day, then gunned down Macken at the plate trying to tag up to save another run. Groenewegen, who stayed in the game as the DP, flew out to left to end the inning.

After MSU went down in order in the bottom of the sixth, Rainey returned to the circle in search of her fourth complete game of the season. She surrendered a leadoff triple to the corner in right to Danielle Parlich, which brought Zalewski on in relief. Her first batter, Hannah Granger, hit the first pitch she saw over the right-field wall for a two-run homer, her 10th of the season for a 5-3 Gopher lead. After LeMay reached on a single, Erica Meyer followed with a homer to the same spot in right for a 7-3 advantage. Rainey re-entered the game at that point, walking Palkovich, and then Walker singled through the right side to put runners at the corners. Macken then come up and put down a bunt, reaching on a fielder's choice as the Spartans tried to get the runner coming home, but Palkovich beat the tag to score the fifth run of the inning. Rainey got Melick to strike out for the first out of the inning, and Groenewegen reached on a fielder's choice, as her ground ball to the hole in short got Macken at second base. After a walk to Parlich - who led off the inning with the triple - loaded the bases, Granger flew out to right to end the inning - but not before a tie ballgame had been blown open.

Alyssa McBride led off the bottom of the seventh with a strikeout, but Kujawa cut it to four with her sixth home run of the season, a shot to dead center. Thomas grounded out to third for the second out of the inning, and Anderson got Foerster to pop out for the final out of the game, securing the Gopher victory.

The teams meet again on Saturday in a 1 p.m. first pitch at Secchia Stadium.

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Team Stats

Lea Foerster

Kassidy Kujawa

Stephanie Sanders

McKinzie Freimuth

Players Mentioned

Lea Foerster

Kassidy Kujawa

McKenzie Long

Alyssa McBride

Bridgette Rainey

Jacquie Reiser

Stephanie Sanders

Ellie Stoffer

Shanin Thomas

Kristina Zalewski