Michigan State University
14-12
Mercer
19-13
Mercer Stymies Spartans, 6-0
3/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Macon, Georgia -- Mercer pitcher Kirsten Stevens stymied Spartan hitters for the second straight day, and the Bears blew open a tight game in the fifth inning to post a 6-0 victory over Michigan State on Saturday evening. Mercer is now 19-13, while MSU falls to 14-12.
Stevens, who downed MSU on Friday 1-0 by limiting the Spartans to four hits, allowed just four Spartan base hits again on Saturday, while her team broke open a 1-0 game with three homers in the fifth and sixth innings. Starting pitcher Valerie Kaff worked out of several jams in her five innings of work, stranding 11 runners. She scattered eight hits, but two blows in particular - a pair of fifth-inning round-trippers - gave Stevens some breathing room after four and a half innings of tight play.
The home team scored once in the bottom of the first inning, but stranded a pair of runners. Taylor Miller drew a leadoff walk, but was caught stealing by Ellie Stoffer to take the runner off the bases. Meghan Rud battled Kaff with an eight-pitch at bat, and eventually walked, and came around to score when Riley Carter doubled to center. After Kaff got Natalie Shiver to fly out to center, Caroline Taylor singled down the left field line to put runners at the corners for Rachael Hugghins, but Kaff got her on a groundout to get out of the inning as the host Bears stranded two. Kaff worked out of a jam again in the second, as Mercer stranded runners at the corners after a leadoff walk and single by Miller, but Kaff got Rud to pop out in the infield to work out of trouble.
Ellie Stoffer picked up the first hit of the day for MSU, lacing a one-out single to center in the top of the third, but she was stranded after pitcher Kirsten Stevens got a pair of groundouts to strand Stoffer at first. In the bottom of the inning, Kaff got a leadoff fly-ball out as Carter flied out to center, but a pair of walks and an infield error loaded the bases for the Bears. Quirisa Mauga reached on a fielder's choice, as Natalie Shiver was thrown out at home. Jastine Alaan, who homered against the Spartans on Friday in a 1-0 Bears win, flew out to center, as the Bears left three more on base.
In the bottom of the fourth, Kaff continued her `Bend, Don't Break' routine, as she walked leadoff hitter Emma Andrew and allowed a single to center by the leadoff hitter, Miller. Kaff then got Rud looking at three straight pitches, Carter on a flyout to center, and Shiver to pop up to the catcher to strand two more Bears without allowing a run to cross the plate.
While Kaff was working out of jam after jam, Stevens was frustrating the Spartans at the plate, allowing just the second hit of the game to the Spartans when Luna singled through the left side in the top of the fifth. Gutknecht came on to pinch hit, but grounded into a double play to end the inning.
Mercer went to the long ball in the bottom of the fifth to open up the tight game. Taylor led off with a walk and after Hugghins flied out to center, Mauga sent a 2-1 pitch over the wall in center, pushing Mercer's lead to 3-0. After Kaff got Alaan looking for the second out, Andrew homered to left center, pushing the home team lead to 4-0. An infield error put Miller on first instead of getting MSU out of the inning, and Rud followed with a single to put a pair on the basepaths - but Kaff got Carter to ground out and put an end to the fifth frame.
Bridgette Rainey came in to relieve Kaff in the bottom of the sixth, and was greeted with Mercer's third homer of the day, a shot to left field by Shiver. Rainey walked Taylor and Hugghins to put a pair of runners on, but Taylor was thrown out at third when Mauga reached on a fielder's choice. After Rainey struck out Alaan, the runners advanced to second and third on a wild pitch, and Rainey walked Andrew to load the bases. Miller came up with a single through the left side to plate Hugghins to make it 6-0, but a Bears would not continue as Rainey got Rud to ground out to first to end the inning.
In the top of the seventh, the Spartans finally got to Stevens a bit, as Shanin Thomas singled to center with one out, and McKenzie Long doubled to left with two out to put a pair of runners on for Luna. The shortstop flew out to center to end the game.
The Spartans wrap up the Mercer Bears Classic on Sunday morning at 10 am with a game against Alabama A&M.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Stevens (13-6)
L: Kaff, Valerie (2-4)
Batting:
2B: Long, McKenzie 1
Batting:
2B: Carter 1
HR: Shiver 1 ; Mauga 1 ; Andrew 1
RBI: Miller 1 ; Carter 1 ; Shiver 1 ; Mauga 2 ; Andrew 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rud 1 ; Shiver 1 ; Taylor 1 ; R. Hugghins 1 ; Mauga 1 ; Andrew 1
CS: Miller 1
HBP: Taylor 1
