Michigan State University
16-27, 3-13
Illinois
17-26, 4-11
Softball Outlasts Late Rally, Defeats Illinois on Alumni Day
4/20/2024 5:42:00 PM | Softball
MSU improves to 16-27 (3-13 B1G) with the win while the Illini fall to 17-26 (4-11 B1G). Saturday's win helps the Spartans stay in the fight for a spot in the 2024 B1G Tournament, where 12 of 14 teams in the league qualify. Michigan State (3-13 B1G) is currently battling Iowa (4-10), Illinois (4-11) and Maryland (4-12) for one of the final spots.
Senior Liv Grey (10-11) pitched her seventh complete game of the season allowing two earned runs over seven innings in the circle. After a rocky first inning, Grey settled in to strike out five Illini batters.
The Spartan defense committed five errors while Illinois scattered 10 hits and left 13 runners on base.
Junior Macy Lee led Michigan State with two RBI and was one of six Spartans to record hits on Saturday. Sophomores Sydney Doloszycki and Hannah Hawley provided extra-base hits with Doloszycki tripling and Hawley's smoking her 11th double of the season off the center field fence. Doloszycki's triple was just the second triple of the season for MSU.
Syd coming up big with a triple in the sixth!#GoGreen } #SpartanUp pic.twitter.com/fBogiLvNOc
— MSU Softball (@MSU_Softball) April 20, 2024
Senior Jenae Wash and sophomore Britain Beshears each reached base twice via single and walk, while junior Mik Anthony and Hawley reached three times. Anthony singled and walked twice, while Hawley drew a walk and hit by pitch in addition to her aforementioned double. Sophomore Hailey Bila and senior Alexis Ross stole bases for the Spartans in game two.
Sides traded runs in the first after Illinois started the scoring with a bases loaded walk. Michigan State responded in the home half using a lead-off double by Hawley, a sacrifice bunt by Doloszycki and a Lee sacrifice fly to tie the game at 1-1.
With runners on first and third in the second inning, MSU took the lead on a double steal attempt. Though Anthony was caught stealing on the play, Wash sprinted home to give the Spartans a 2-1 advantage.
Back-to-back-to-back two out singles pushed a pair of runs across for Michigan State in the third. Lee got things started with a single just out of reach of the Illini shortstop before Beshears and Wash each drove in one on singles to center.
Brit smokes a single into center to score Syd from third.
— MSU Softball (@MSU_Softball) April 20, 2024
She puts us up 3-1 in the third!#GoGreen | #SpartanUp pic.twitter.com/Am6XyWCd0s
Jenae Wash keeps the inning alive with two outs with a single to center!
— MSU Softball (@MSU_Softball) April 20, 2024
Back-to-back Spartan singles puts us ahead 4-1 in the third.#GoGreen | #SpartanUp pic.twitter.com/bp7wSrpg0P
Illinois cut MSU's lead to one, 4-3, as two runners scored in the fourth. Consecutive singles opened the inning for the Illini before a Spartan error allowed the first runner to score. A single down the left field line helped the ensuing batter drive in Illinois' second run of the frame.
Michigan State got one of those runs back in the bottom of the fourth when Anthony scored on a Doloszycki fielder's choice. The Spartans scored a much-needed insurance run in the sixth, going ahead 6-3, when Doloszycki scored on a Lee ground out.
Things got dicey for MSU in the seventh when a dropped fly ball and throwing error placed the opposing lead-off batter on third. After an RBI single cut Michigan State's lead of 6-4, a third Spartan error and sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third. Illinois traded places on an RBI single to center, once again putting two runners in scoring position with one out.
With the lead cut to just one, 6-5, Grey settled back in for the Spartans inducing a ground out and a pop out to end the game.
UP NEXT
Michigan State and Illinois will conclude the three-game series on Sunday, April 21 at 1:00 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Grey, Liv (10-11)
L: Wiles, Lauren (5-11)
Batting:
RBI: Ryono, Kelly 1 ; Caryl, Adisyn 2 ; Ward, Megan 1
SH: Starks, Serena 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ryono, Kelly 1 ; Meade, Stevie 2 ; Malott, Sydney 1 ; Ward, Megan 1
HBP: Donahue, Eileen 1
Batting:
2B: Hawley, Hannah 1
3B: Doloszycki, Sydney 1
RBI: Doloszycki, Sydney 1 ; Lee , Macy 2 ; Beshears, Britain 1 ; Wash, Jenae 1
SH: Doloszycki, Sydney 1 ; Fox, Anna 1 ; Allen, Collette 1
SF: Lee , Macy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hawley, Hannah 1 ; Doloszycki, Sydney 2 ; Lee , Macy 1 ; Wash, Jenae 1 ; Anthony, Mik 1
SB: Bila, Hailey 1 ; Ross, Alexis 1
CS: Anthony, Mik 1
HBP: Hawley, Hannah 1 ; Allen, Collette 1
