Michigan State University
16-30, 1-16
Michigan
42-6, 15-2
Spartans Battle, Fall at No. 4 Michigan 4-3
4/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Ann Arbor, Mich. -- A pair of solo homers for the host Wolverines allowed No. 4 Michigan to rally for a 4-3 come-from-behind win over Michigan State on Tuesday evening in Ann Arbor.
Lea Foerster and Kassidy Kujawa each homered for Michigan State (16-30), who had eight hits in the game, the most MSU has had in a Big Ten contest since April 5 at Rutgers. Bridgette Rainey earned her eighth start in the last 11 games, going five innings, allowing four hits, striking out four and walking eight; Zalewski entered in the bottom of the sixth with the bases loaded, and despite inheriting a bases-loaded no-out situation, retired the side without allowing a run.
Megan Betsa started the game for Michigan (42-6), striking out five in two innings of work, but allowing MSU's first three runs. Haylie Wagner entered in relief and finished with five hits allowed and four strikeouts in four innings of work.
A driving rain and consistently dropping temperatures were the backdrop for Tuesday night's game, which was delayed three times for a total of 1:23 at Michigan's Alumni Field. The gametime temperature was 49 degrees, had dropped to 40 degrees by the top of the fifth inning, and was a real-feel of 35 by the time the game resumed after the third delay.
The Spartans started off the game in fine form, as Lea Foerster was hit by a pitch to lead off the game, and Kassidy Kujawa hit her career-best seventh home run over the wall in center field to give the Spartans a 2-0 lead. After pitcher Megan Betsa retired Stephanie Sanders, she hit Sarah Gutknecht to put another runner on, and McKenzie Long hit a bloop single into shallow left with an eye on starting a rally. Betsa, however, struck out Ellie Stoffer and Shanin Thomas to get out of the inning and strand the pair.
Michigan looked to get the runs back immediately - Sierra Lawrence drew a leadoff walk, and Sierra Romero followed with a liner into left that moved Lawrence to second. Kelly Christner popped a 1-2 pitch to Destinee Luna at second, who quickly stepped on second for the unassisted double play to quickly get a pair of outs in MSU's favor. Rainey got Kelsey Susalla looking at a called third strike to end the inning.
Betsa got the first two hitters on strikeouts in the top of the second, bringing the top of the order back to the plate in Foerster. She took a 0-1 pitch for a ride into the grandstands in left-center field, her third home run of the season. Kujawa, who hit a two-run shot in the first inning, got ahead in the count 3-1, fouled back the next pitch, but Betsa got her to strike out the side.
Long snagged a sinking liner from the bat of Lauren Sweet for the first out of the bottom of the second, and Rainey got Lindsey Montemorano on a changeup on a called strike three for a pair of quick outs. Tera Blanco came to the plate and earned a walk - the second for Rainey in the game - to put a runner on first. Freshman Aidan Falk popped up the first pitch she saw, but Kujawa easily corralled it in left to keep the Wolverines from having a chance to cut into the lead.
In the third, Michigan replaced Betsa with Haylie Wagner, who was welcomed to the game by a single up the middle by Stephanie Sanders on the first pitch she saw. Gutknecht and Long reached on back-to-back fielder's choice plays, leaving a runner at first for Stoffer, who singled into center. Thomas grounded out to second to end the threat, leaving two Spartan runners on the basepaths.
In the bottom of the frame, Rainey got the leadoff Abby Raimrez to ground out to second, bringing the top of the order to the plate. Lawrence earned her second walk of the game, bringing up Romero, who earned UM's only hit to that point in the game. Lawrence stole second as Romero worked her way to a full count, and the second baseman lined a single into the same spot in left field she hit in the first - that scored Lawrence to first cut into the MSU lead. Christner was hit by a pitch to put a second runner on with just one out, and Rainey came up with a big strikeout of Susalla for the second out of the inning. Rainey walked Lauren Sweet to load the bases, and looked to get out of a jam with Montemorano at the plate - but she walked her as well, bringing home a second Wolverine run to trim MSU's lead to 3-2. Rainey got out of the inning by getting Blanco to pop out to Stoffer behind the plate in foul territory.
After Destinee Luna led off the top of the fourth with a single to left, a 45-minute rain delay came on due to driving rain and high winds. When play resumed, Alyssa McBride moved Luna over to second with a sacrifice bunt; Foerster then legged out an infield single to place a second runner on the basepaths for Kujawa, who advanced the runners with a groundout to third. Sanders struck out to end the inning, stranding a pair of runners.
In the bottom of the frame, Abby Ramirez reached on a one-out error in the infield, which brought the top of the order to the plate for the Wolverines. Rainey got Lawrence to swing at a pitch in the dirt for the second out of the inning, bringing the hard-hitting Romero to the plate with two hits to her credit already in the game. Romero's hit reached the very corner of foul territory in left, but Kujawa corralled it for the third out to send the game to the fifth.
Wagner retired the side in order in the Spartan half of the fifth. Rainey got Kelly Christner to ground out to second to lead off the home half of the frame, but allowed back-to-back solo homers to right to Kelsey Susalla and Lauren Sweet to give the home team its first lead of the game, pulling out to a 4-3 advantage. Montemorano walked, and Tera Blanco laid down a sacrifice bunt attempt, triggering a wild sequence where Rainey threw high to first, but Long corralled it and tagged first; Montemorano tried to take third, but a fantastic throw across the infield by Long and tag by Luna got her out at third to end the inning.
The Spartans looked to manufacture something in the top of the sixth, but Wagner helped herself with a sharp defensive play on Luna, stabbing a bouncer and throwing her out at first. With two outs, McBride battled through an eight-pitch at bat before singling through the middle, but a bouncer to short by Foerster ended MSU's threat.
Before the Wolverines could step in for the bottom of the sixth, the game was delayed a third time by the weather, but when play resumed, Wagner led with a walk, and Ramirez was hit by a pitch to put a pair of runners on base for the top of the Wolverine order. Lawrence walked, signaling the end of Rainey's outing. Kristina Zalewski entered for the Spartans with the bases loaded and none out, and her first order of business was Romero, the Big Ten's top hitter. She grounded to short, and Luna's throw home saved a run as Stoffer got the force. Christner stepped in, but went down looking at a called third strike. Susalla, who tied the game in the previous inning, lined out to Long to get Zalewski and MSU out of the jam, bringing up the meat of the Spartan lineup in it's final at-bat in regulation.
Romero robbed Kujawa in the top of the seventh with a diving grab, getting the ball to first just in time to nip the left fielder. Sanders grounded out to second, bringing Gutknecht to the plate, but she popped out to Montemorano in foul territory to allow the Wolverines to hold on for the 4-3 win.
MSU hosts Western Michigan on Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. at Secchia Stadium.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wagner (18-2)
L: Rainey, Bridgette (1-11)
Batting:
HR: Foerster, Lea 1 ; Kujawa, Kassidy 1
RBI: Foerster, Lea 1 ; Kujawa, Kassidy 2
SH: McBride, Alyssa 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Foerster, Lea 2 ; Kujawa, Kassidy 1
HBP: Foerster, Lea 1 ; Gutknecht, Sarah 1
Batting:
HR: Susalla 1 ; Sweet 1
RBI: Romero 1 ; Susalla 1 ; Sweet 1 ; Montemarano 1
SH: Blanco 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Lawrence 1 ; Romero 1 ; Susalla 1 ; Sweet 1
SB: Lawrence 1
HBP: Christner 1 ; Ramirez 1
