Spartans Fall In Series Opener at Ohio State

East Lansing, Mich. – Ohio State earned a 9-0 win in six innings over visiting Michigan State in the first game of the three-game weekend series at Buckeye Field in Columbus.

Sophomore third baseman Natalia Kenyatta had two of MSU's three hits on the day, while junior shortstop Payton Conroy walked twice. The Spartans (13-18, 0-7 B1G) used both Jacey Schuler and Alyssa Galindo in the circle on Friday, and the pair scattered 11 hits.

The Buckeyes (13-18, 3-4 B1G) had 10 hits on the day, including four home runs, to earn the victory. Hadley Parisien went 2-3 with a pair of homers, including the swing that ended the game in the home half of the sixth . Pitcher Jenna Molk got the complete game victory, scattering three hits and striking out four while issuing three walks.

Michigan State and Ohio State play game two on Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 2 pm.

NOTABLES

Natalia Kenyatta was entered into the starting lineup at third and had a pair of base hits, her first career multiple-hit game.
Hannah Hawley had a first inning ball that bounced off the top of the wall in left field for a single, and also walked.
Payton Conroy drew a pair of walks in her only two plate appearances.
Jacey Schuler drew the start and struck out four, allowing four earned runs on eight hits. Alyssa Galindo threw 1.1 innings in relief.

SCORING SUMMARIES

Hannah Hawley hit a ball that bounced off the top of the outfield wall in the top of the first, but it was ruled a single. Ohio State hit leadoff homers in the first and second innings.
The home team added two more runs on its third homer of the game in the third. Sammy Bewick reached on a one-out single, and then junior Taylor Cruse followed with her 12^th homer of the season to make it 4-0.
MSU threatened in both the third and fifth innings. In the third, Conroy drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a Natalia Kenyatta bunt single. A wild pitch pushed both runners into scoring position; a fielder's choice allowed Kendall Smiley to reach but eliminated Conroy at the plate. Hannah Hawley walked to load the bases, but pitcher Jenna Molk got out of the inning with a fly ball to right. In the fifth, it was an eerily similar situation with Conroy drawing a leadoff walk followed by a Kenyatta base hit. Smiley reached on a fielder's choice which caught Conroy in a rundown between third and home, and Molk got out of the inning with a strikeout.
The home team extended its lead with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. A single, passed ball, and walk put runners at the corners, and an error allowed the runner to score from third. Bewick tripled to right center to bring home two more runs. Alyssa Galindo came on to pitch for Jacey Schuler and got the final out on a fly ball to right center. In the bottom of the sixth, Galindo surrendered a leadoff walk followed by a home run by Hadley Peresian to end the game with the 9-0 final.

Michigan State University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Payton Conroy

Alyssa Galindo

Hannah Hawley

Natalia Kenyatta

Jacey Schuler

Kendall Smiley

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