Spartans Outlast BGSU in Extras, 20-13

March 19, 2016

SPARTAN SYNOPSIS

Michigan State rallied for nine runs in the top of the 10th inning to outlast Bowling Green, 20-13, in a marathon 10-inning contest in the first of two games on the day at the Hoosier Classic.

The 20 runs was the most for MSU since a 20-0 victory over Wayne State on April 21. 1976. MSU had a season-best 19 hits in the game.

The Spartans, however, committed six errors to squander leads of 7-0 and 9-3, but rallied for six hits and nine runs in the top of the 10th. MSU's rally was highlighted by freshman Lexi White's first career home run - a grand slam. The outfielder also smacked a double in the top of the ninth that had given MSU an 11-10 lead, but the Falcons tied the score to send the game to a 10th frame.

Jacquie Reiser and Jordan Davis each collected a career-best three RBI, while Celeste Wood had a pair of doubles and went 3-for-5 with a walk and three RBI. Ebonee Echols also went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a pair of stolen bases.

Michigan State (15-10) continues its first day of action at the Hoosier Classic in Bloomington with a late afternoon game against Wright State.

QUOTABLE
"Clearly, six errors is going to cost you in a game - but our offense and pitching bailed us out of the trouble we made for ourselves. We're doing a bit of patching together a lineup right now, between injuries and some players being sick, but that's not in any way an excuse for all the errors we made, because we were healthy enough to come up with 19 hits. It's time to clear our heads and get ready for a second game, so there's not time to dwell on it. We just need a better effort in game two."

- Head Coach Jacquie Joseph

TOP PERFORMERS

Dani Goranson earned the win, tossing 2.2 innings of relief. She scattered seven hits and allowed just two earned runs, striking out two.

Freshman Lexi White led the Spartans with five RBI, smacking a double in the top of the ninth and a grand slam in the top of the 10th.

Jacquie Reiser and Jordan Davis each delivered a pinch hits and finished with three RBI, career highs for both. Shanin Thomas also had three RBI.

Ebonee Echols, McKenzie Long and Celeste Wood each had three hits. Wood had a pair of doubles, while Echols had two stolen bases.

STATS AND STORYLINES

The teams had a lengthy delay in the start to the game due to weather. First pitch for the game (scheduled at 10 a.m.) was at 1:30 p.m.

A leadoff single to Foerster, followed by a two-out double by Sarah Gutknecht plated the first run for the Spartans, and an RBI single by McKenzie Long brought Gutknecht around for a 2-0 MSU lead in the top of the first inning.

Zalewski worked out of a jam in the bottom of the second, as a leadoff walk and error put a pair on with none out - she got a fly ball to center and followed that with a pair of strikeouts to get out of the inning.

Echols led off the third by reaching on an error, and then promptly stole second. Celeste Wood brought her home with a double to left center. The Falcons made a pitching change, bringing Braiden Dillow into the circle, and she retired the next three batters to strand Wood at third.

The Spartans blew open the game with four runs in the top of the fourth, doing the most damage with two outs. Lindsey Besson led off the inning with a walk, and was moved to second on a groundout by Lexi White. Destinee Luna delivered a single to left to leave runners at the corners, and after a fielder's choice by Foerster, Echols singled home Besson for a 4-0 lead. Dillow walked Wood to load the bases, and senior Jacquie Reiser stepped in as a pinch hitter. Reiser doubled to left center to empty the bases for a 7-0 lead. Long singled and moved to second on a wild pitch to leave a pair in scoring posotion, but Shanin Thomas flew out to halt the Spartan rally.

The Falcons put a sizeable dent in MSU's lead in the bottom of the fifth. Ha pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases with none out, but a rundown between second and third eliminated the lead runner. Katee Hinkle grounded out to third for the second out of the inning, and Zalewski gave a free pass to Chelsea Raker to once again load the bases. That left things to left fielder Marissa Shook, who stepped in and smacked a single down the left field line to plate a pair of runs and break up the shutout. A single and an error on the ensuing throw allowed Raker to score from third for the third run of the inning, but Zalewski finally ended the frame a strikeout.

A walk, bunt single, and hit by pitch loaded the bases for Bowling Green in the bottom of the sixth, at which point the Spartans made a pitching change, bringing in Valerie Kaff. She walked Hinkle, and a throwing error by Foerster plated two more runs for the Falcons to cut the lead to 9-6. Another error brought home a seventh BG run, but Kaff got out of the inning with MSU clinging to the 9-7 lead.

A one-out single by Kayla Gregory and two-out double by Hannah Giammarino cut MSU's lead to 9-8 in the bottom of the seventh. Molly Holliday singled to put runners at the corners, and Aspen Searle followed with a single to center that tied the game at 9-9.

With the international tiebreaker rule in effect, Lea Foerster was placed on second to start the eighth inning. Echols moved her to third on a sac bunt, but Wood grounded out for the second out of the inning. Jordan Davis came in to pinch hit for Reiser, and brought Foerster home with a single to right center.

The Falcons scored the tying run in the bottom of the eighth on MSU's fifth error of the day. Goranson got the first two outs of the inning on a popup and a strikeout, but Schrock reached on an error that allowed Hinkle to score the tying run. Kayla Gregory kept the inning going with another single that left runners at first and second, and another MSU miscue loaded the bases. Goranson got out of the inning on an unassisted play at third to end the frame.

Lexi White produced a two-out double that scored Long in the top of the ninth inning, but the Falcons tied it with a single and a sac fly in the bottom of the frame.

The top of the 10th brought up the top of the MSU order, and the Spartans capitalized. A leadoff walk to Foerster and bunt single by Echols loaded the bases, and Celeste Wood's third hit of the day brought home two runs. Jordan Davis produced her second RBI single of the day, driving in two for a 15-11 lead. After a pitching change for Bowling Green, Shanin Thomas delivered MSU's fifth consecutive hit, scoring Davis and moving Long to second for a 16-11 advantage. White's grand slam delivered the final four runs and pushed MSU's total to 20.

Kristina Zalewski went 5.1 innings, surrendering six hits and five walks, striking out eight. Valerie Kaff threw one inning in relief, allowing one hit and walking one while on a pitch count; Goranson finished out the game allowing two earned runs and scattering seven hits.

MSU scored seven of its first 11 runs today with two outs. All four of MSU's runs in its last game agaisnt College of Charleston were also scored with two outs.

The Spartans went 17-for-35 (.486) with runners on base in the game, and 17-for-31 (.548) with runners in scoring position.

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Team Stats

Ebonee Echols

Celeste Wood

McKenzie Long

Jordan Davis

Players Mentioned

Lindsey Besson

Jordan Davis

Ebonee Echols

Lea Foerster

Dani Goranson

Sarah Gutknecht

Valerie Kaff

McKenzie Long

Destinee Luna

Jacquie Reiser

Shanin Thomas

Lexi White

Celeste Wood

Kristina Zalewski